AAJ TV : Pakistan Ki Awaz

LAHORE : Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan Jamaat Ali Shah has said that "there will be no talks on Kishan Ganga or any other dam as it is not part of the meeting's agenda." Indus Water Commissioner of India, Auranga Nathan, has said that he will undertake a routine inspection of rivers Ravi and Sutlej during his visit to Pakistan. Nathan's Pakistani counterpart said.

"There will be no talks other than the scheduled inspection of Ravi and Sutlej rivers to review water flow." "I will invite my Pakistani counterpart on return to India," Nathan said. While talking to media persons at Lahore airport, the Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries expressed these views here on Saturday, Shah said: "The arrival of Indian delegation in this situation proves that India is sincere in talks with Pakistan on the water conflict."

To sort out differences over water issues between India and Pakistan, an Indian delegation, led by its Indus Water Commissioner Arunga Nathan, arrived in the provincial metropolis here on Saturday. Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah told Business Recorder that the Indian delegation would visit Balloki Headworks on Sunday and would also inspect Sidhnai Headworks on river Ravi.

On February 8, the delegation will visit Islam Headworks and Sulemanki headworks on the River Sutlej. After the Indian water experts' visit, Pakistan side would also visit India later this year Sources said that Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah would raise the question of reduced water inflows in the River Chenab due to Indian hydro project Baglihar dam.

It may be mentioned here that during Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah's visit to India last year in November, both countries exchanged data about the water flows in the Chenab River, but India objected to the data compiled by Pakistan and asked for a visit to Marala Headworks to carry out its own inspection. An Indian delegation visited Pakistan on 29 November and rejected the demand for "compensation", maintaining that the charge was "unsubstantiated".

Water issue has got tremendous importance between India and Pakistan and civil society as well as the various farmers associations had raised voice of protest against Indian's Policy regarding the water issues. It is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore High Court had ordered the Ministry of Water & Irrigation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file replies by 4th March on a petition filed against the government's alleged inaction over the Indian attempts to make Pakistan a barren country by stopping rivers' waters.

Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) President Zafar Hussain Khan said that the country was facing acute shortage of water in its rivers, which was directly damaging crops, farmers and the economy of the country. He told Business Recorder that " India had planned to suffocate Pakistan with the hidden support of some eternal enemies of Pakistan but the Pakistani authorities were only paying lip service against this cruelty.

The counsel submitted that no practical step at bilateral or global level had yet been taken by the Pakistani government in this regard. He said that he had requested the court to direct Pakistan government to take bold steps to secure water of three rivers (Indus, Chenab and Jhelum) that had been given to Pakistan by under the Indus Basin Water Treaty in 1960. He said if steps were not taken immediately, Pakistan would become a totally barren nation.

Meanwhile Pakistan Mutahidda Kissan Mahaz has arranged a meeting here on Sunday to discuss the complications of reduced water inflows in the rivers, government's failure to set up hydro-power projects for produce cheap electricity and future of Pakistan agriculture after India's water aggression against Pakistan. Experts including Ayub Khan Mayo, Brigadier Farooque Hameed and Dr Shahid Raza executive member Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry will also address the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010