Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar has expressed his serious reservations over the issuance of a no objection certificate (NOC) by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for the supply of water to Punjab’s Cholistan desert, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.
In a letter to Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, he said that on January 17, 2024, the IRSA had released a water report.
Quoting Member IRSA Sindh, the CM said that the Punjab Irrigation Department in Islamabad had suggested the issuance of an NOC for the water supply to Cholistan so that agriculture sector in the area could develop. “It is unfortunate that the NOC was issued suddenly and without sharing any information with the Sindh government,” the chief minister deplored.
He said that already under the water treaty, Punjab’s share in water resources in the existing canal system was more than other provinces.
The CM went on to say that since the NOC issued by the IRSA had put Sindh’s water rights in jeopardy, therefore, on behalf of the people of the province, he appealed to the federal government to put this decision on hold until an elected government took over. “In fact, issuing NOCs like these is not included in the mandate of a caretaker government,” he said, adding, “Any such decision detrimental to the interests of Sindh taken at this stage will be difficult for any future provincial government to defend.”
Reporter Aajiz Jamali