A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a civil miscellaneous appeal that has sought court''s directions to stop the federal government from entering into any deal to purchase electricity from India.
The petitioner, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, appeared before the bench in person and contented that it would be "shameful" for Pakistan to purchase electricity which, according to him, India has produced from illegally-constructed dams on Pakistan''s rivers in violation of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. Pakistan is said to have accepted Indian offer of 5,000 megawatt of electricity to bridge its severe energy shortfall.
The offer was made by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in a brief chat with his Pakistani counterpart Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) recently held in Seoul, South Korea. During the hearing, the bench directed the petitioner to furnish the Indian Supreme Court''s 2005 judgement on sharing of waters. The hearing of the matter was adjourned till April 5.