Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sindh President of the Pakistan People’s Party, has condemned the caretaker government’s purported attempt to change the Indus River System Authority Act of 1992 by an ordinance.
Khuhro, speaking from Larkana, indicated that the ordinance’s declared goal is to allow the diversion of water from Sindh’s allotment to the Cholistan area of Punjab, where about 600,000 acres of agriculture will be irrigated.
Khuhro described the idea as an infringement on Sindh’s rights and autonomy, and requested that the IRSA revoke the no objection certificate (NOC) for a connection canal to Cholistan immediately. He emphasized that if the project advances, areas in Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, and Cholistan will rely on water from Sindh, violating the 1991 Water Accord, which forbids the construction of connecting canals.
Khuhro said that Sindh is not receiving its fair share of water under the 1991 deal, nor is river water being released downstream of the Kotri barrier to avoid sea incursion.
He questioned the supply of water for these connecting canals if Punjab was denied its water share, emphasizing Punjab’s unwillingness to develop a telemetry system for reliable water monitoring.
Khuhro, citing Article 155 of the constitution, urged that disagreements over water allocation among provinces be addressed by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) rather than the IRSA. He criticized the caretaker government’s attempt to provide the prime minister the right to nominate the IRSA chairman through the ordinance, calling it illegal and beyond the interim government’s mandate.
Khuhro asked the caretaker administration not to force the Sindhi people onto the streets, noting their historical hostility to the Kalabagh project and vowed to oppose any attempt to shift Sindh’s water through a connection canal.
Iqra Khan