DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Minister of State for Water Resources Mohammad Ali Bacha along with Minister of State for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday inaugurated the restoration work on the third and final leg of the flood-hit Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC).

The federal government had allocated Rs700 million for the restoration of CRBC, which was damaged due to the devastating floods in 2022.

Speaking at the function held on the occasion and later to the media, Mr Bacha, who is also provincial president of PPP, said credit for construction of CRBC went to PPP founder late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He said the local farmers were badly affected after the destruction of CRBC in the last year’s floods.

He said the federal government, despite financial difficulties, had released Rs700 million for rehabilitation of CRBC, which would be completed within one month.

Mr Bacha said the PPP believed in practical measures rather than hollow claims. He said the project was being completed due to personal efforts of PPP central information secretary Faisal Karim Kundi and Ahmad Karim Kundi.

Besides, he said federal minister Khursheed Shah also took great interest in the matter.

On this occasion, state minister Faisal Kundi said the PPP leadership always believed in negotiations among political parties for resolving issues. He said the prevailing issues being faced by the country needed to be resolved through negotiations. However, he said the reservations of the coalition parties over the dialogue with PTI were also genuine.

He insisted though the track record of PTI chairman Imran Khan regarding dialogue was not good, PPP hoped for the success of talks.

“Imran Khan on one hand was demanding early elections while on the other he was talking about the restoration of provincial assemblies,” he said. Mr Kundi condemned the attack on Pervez Elahi’s house.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2023