Islamabad: Former Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani expressed a strong reaction to the statement of Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal regarding the construction of 6 canals on the Indus River and said that the Federal Minister of Planning should respect the provincial autonomy under the 1973 Constitution. Should do. Water Treaty, Indus River in Punjab making a statement on new canals violating the rights of the Indus on the lower river and the sentiments of the people of the province.
“The federal government cannot unilaterally decide to build new canals to divert the water of the Indus River for agriculture in the Cholistan region of Punjab,” Rabbani said.
He criticized Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s statement and emphasized that the matter should have been taken up in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which the federal government has not convened during its current tenure.
Raza Rabbani said that the matter should and should have been brought before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) which the federal government has failed to convene after its current round of inspections. He said that the agriculture sector is the root of the provincial economy, Sindh also contributes about 23 percent to the national value added of the federation. 41% of national rice production; 31% sugarcane and 21% wheat. He said that Sindh is already deprived of its rightful and legitimate share of water.
The former Senate Chairman said that the provincial government has written a letter to the federal government to convene a meeting of the CCI, which it is constantly avoiding. Raza Rabbani said that the people of Sindh have expressed their serious reservations about the construction of the said canals and are continuously demonstrating across the province. Given the already volatile political environment, Raza Rabbani warned that federal political tensions would add to the instability that could damage the system and the federation.