Share of provinces: government urged to implement 1991 water distribution accord

Pakistan Muthida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) has urged the government to ensure implementation of 1991 water distribution accord in letter and spirit while deciding share of provinces in available water so as to protect rights of every part of the country.
Chief of PMKM and Convenor Pakistan Water and Power Action Committee Ayub Khan Mayo while addressing a press conference here on Tuesday said that unjustifiable distribution of water among provinces would promote sense of deprivation in some parts of the country while it would also shatter national solidarity.
He said that there should be no interference from the President house or the government in water distribution by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). He termed the unjustified water distribution as a conspiracy hatched against agricultural sector of the country, which would also sow seed of inter-provincial hatred and strengthen Indian water aggression against Pakistan.
He said that water was not a problem for Punjab only but also for Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan. He claimed India was bound to give 55,000 cusecs of water in Chenab river to Pakistan under Indus Basin Water Treaty but at present only 6000 cusecs of water was flowing in this river.
He questioned that why Pakistani rulers and politicians were keeping mum over this violation by India. He said that construction of Kishan Ganga Dam on Jhelum river and construction of a 22 kilometer tunnel to divert water from Neelum and Jhelum to feed Wullur Barrage was an open violation of 1960 accord. Silence by Pakistani rulers and politicians on such violations was a betrayal to growers and farmers, he added. He urged the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of rulers' failure to protect the rights of Pakistan and not taking any notice of Indian violations of Indus Basin Water Treaty.