Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has expressed reservations about bypassing the constitutional provisions for the settlement of water issues between the provinces. According to press reports the federal government has decided to set up Water Council under the chairman ship of Prime Minister and comprising of chief ministers of all four provinces and experts from provinces and Water and Power ministry to resolve water related disputes between the provinces.
Article 153 of the Constitution already provided for a mechanism in the shape of council of Common Interest (CCI) for addressing such issues, she said in a statement on Friday. The Water Council would be helpless as it is not a constitutional body and its decision would not have the force of a constitutional body like the CCI, she said.
The former Prime Minister said that water issue was closely linked to the issue of electricity also which as a subject on the Concurrent Legislative List fell within the purview of the CCI for formulating and regulating policies.
Whereas the CCI is responsible to the Parliament the new proposed Water Council is responsible to the Prime Minister or federal government, she said and added that this fact alone would make the new body suspect in the eyes of many.
She said that Article 155 of the Constitution also provided that if the interest of a province in water from any natural sources of supply was affected prejudicially by any executive or legislative action the matter would be taken up in the Council of Common Interest which shall either give its decision or request the President to appoint a commission of experts on whose report the Council shall record its decision.
She said that the best course therefore would be to seek a resolution through the mechanism provided in the Constitution. She said that bypassing the Constitutional mechanisms in place was jeopardising national interest and eroding the sanctity of the law and constitution.
She said that adherence to Constitution would provide the framework to resolve the bread and butter issues relating to the common man who was suffering untold miseries due to the interruption of the constitutional process.
The former Prime Minister wanted the regime to explain what it had done about the small water dams that were being constructed by PPP government from Khyber to Karachi with a view to providing clean drinking water as well as agricultural water for the people.
She said that water was being politically exploited under dictatorships for cheap purposes of divide and rule.
She called upon the regime to revive the PPP polices and immediately start lining the canals and building of small dams."
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