Both the incumbent and former federal government has deprived the people of lower riparian of their rightful share of water – says Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

The Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said that there is dire need for a new water accord, based on justice, equality, and free from political partisanship. Water should be distributed among the provinces with complete transparency and without favoring one province at the cost of the other. The PTI-led federal government, however, had shown that it can not rise above partisan politics and is willing to collectively punish Sindh for rejecting the selected. The issue of depriving Sindh and Balochistan of water are of national importance, and core to the stability of the federation, and it is extremely condemnable that the federal government has actively deprived provinces it doesn’t rule of their fair share, the Chairman PPP said.

While addressing a press conference at the village of Bashir Ahmed Halepoto in Talluka Matli, the Chairman PPP said that the water crisis in Sindh was a serious issue as the future of the people of Sindh is directly linked to smooth and equitable supply of water to Sindh. Unfortunately, both the previous and incumbent federal governments have played with fire by depriving the people of the lower riparian of Sindh of water. He added that the water accord-1991, one the PPP opposed even then, was unbalanced from the start, and the incumbent selected PTI-led federal government were depriving Sindh of its rightful share even based on that unbalanced formula. The Chairman PPP regretted that Sindh’s representative member in IRSA was subjected to attacks and slander for voicing the concerns of the Sindhi people in meetings.

The selected PTI-led federal government should know that the answer to the genuine issues this country faces won’t be found by launching vitriolic ad hominem attacks to deflect from their criminal actions of depriving the people of Sindh and Balouchistan. The Sindh government, by lining over 1500 km of water courses and canals with cement, has already done much to for smooth delivery of water prevent water loss and has also allocated Rs.7 billion in the current fiscal budget to continue lining water courses and canals in Badin. The people of Badin would find that this would resolve most of their water woes and their issues with the LBOD, he added. The Chairman PPP went on to warn the the selected PTI-led federal government that the PPP would continue to challenge the ineptitude and corruption of the federal government in and outside the Parliament for as long as PTI continued to serve vested interests at the cost of the economic welfare of the Pakistani people.

“A government and its economic policies should serve the needs and aspirations of the people, not drafted and promulgated on the dictation of the IMF.”

In response to a question, the Chairman PPP said that it was common knowledge that he had discarded the sham show cause notice, and that he still stood by his decisions. The PPP is not answerable or beholden to either Nawaz Sharif or Maryam. As Leader of the opposition and President PMLN; Shahbaz Sharif is officially in charge of PMLN and henceforth, the PPP would engage with him for matters of national interest.He added that the PPP leadership holds Maulana Fazlur Rehman in high regard, and that the PPP was always engaged in principled politics. The PPP doesn’t believe in creating drama in the streets, while secretly cutting backdoor deals to come into power. Those who truly believe in democracy and civilian supremacy should join hands with the PPP rather than opposing it.In reply to another question pertaining to the attack on the journalist Asad Toor, he said that if the journalist fraternity was unsafe in a city like Islamabad under the nose of this sham of a federal government, then how could any journalist feel protected in the country. The fact that this incident occurred two days after the government tabled a bill on journalist safety, showed that the federal government was all talk and no substances.

The federal interior minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed, he added, instead of interfering and criticising others would do well to protect journalists in Islamabad. This incident has to be investigated thoroughly and the perpetrators and masterminds must be exposed, he added. To another question, the Chairman PPP said that it was on record that the selected PTI government have repeatedly stated that they owe no duty of care to the people of Sindh. The federal interior minister had gone so far as to sink to the levels of diatribes against the people of Sindh and that he owed the province an apology. The peace and tranquility in Sindh was a result of the painstaking combined efforts of Sindh government and Sindh Police, and it was of pivotal importance that all the departments work in complete harmony to ensure the continuity of that tranquility, he added.The Chairman PPP also condoled with the newly elected MPA Dada Muhammad Halepoto and Shahzad Halepoto on the sad demise of late MPA Bashir Ahmed Halepoto, in Bashir Halepoto Village in Talluka Matli.

Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, ministers Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Suhail Anwar Sial, MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, and MPAs Taj Muhammad Mallah, Ejaz Shah Bukhari, Mir Allah Bux Talpur, Arbab Lutfullah and Tanzeela Qambrani, Special Assistants to Sindh CM, Jawaid Nayab Leghari and Pir Noorul Haq Qureshi, office-bearers Mir Sohrab Marri, Haji Ramzan Chandio, Asghar Halepoto, Sain Bux Jamali, Haji Rasool Bux Chandio, Khurram Karim Soomro and Tariq Ali Shah Jamot accompanied the Chairman PPP.

Following the press conference at Badin, the Chairman PPP inaugurated the Phuleli Canal restoration project at 30-miles cross regulator in Tando Muhammad Khan. Sindh Irrigation Minister Suhail Anwar Sial briefed the Chairman PPP on Phuleli Canal restoration project, which would irrigate over 1.5 million acres of agricultural land. The Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) managing director Preetum Das and Left Bank Canals Area Water Board (LBCAWB) Chairman Qabool Muhammad Khatyan assisted the minister Sial in briefing to the Chairman PPP. The Chairman PPP also visited the site of Phuleli Canal Restoration project that services and irrigates agricultural land in Badin and Tando Muhammad Khan. He commended the Sindh Irrigation Department on completing the public welfare project which cost Rs.3 billion. The Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was accompanied on his visit to the Phuleli Canal restoration by the Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24905/