DERA GHAZI KHAN, March 27: Sindhoo Bachaoo Tarla and Hirrak Development Centre organised a seminar in Kotaddu on Wednesday on ‘Water for life’ in which people affected by the Taunsa Barrage Rehabilitation and Modernisation Project were present.

Zafar Lund said water politics was being used since the period of the British rule as the British rulers had build canals to punish pro-independence people. He said the British rulers had allotted lands in the command area to those people who were first in the military of Ranjeet Singh and then joined the British Army to crush the independence movement of 1857.

He said after Partition, Pakistani and Indian governments had disputed over the distribution of waters of six rivers. The World Bank proposed the distribution of rivers between two the governments while India proposed the distribution of waters of rivers. But then president Ayub Khan accepted the World Bank’s proposal and “sold” three rivers to India for $174 million, he added.

He said Ayub Khan had also accepted the proposal of the World Bank to build two dams, five barrages and 400km canals to irrigate those lands whose rivers had been sold to India. He said these projects had caused displacement of millions of people directly and indirectly.

Fazl-i- Rab said General Pervez Musharraf was also accepting the proposals of international financial institutions to get their support to prolong his rule.

Aisha Hina and Younis Khan Chandio said the use of fertilisers and insecticides had polluted underground water and industrial waste had polluted the Indus River which was threat to human being and aquatic life.

Khawja Ghulam Fareed of the Seraikistan Qaumi Ittehad said they would stand by the people displaced by the Taunsa project. He said that he supported the struggle of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and lawyers for the independence of the judiciary and democracy.