The Prime Minister, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif elaborated his vision on T.V channels yesterday, mentioning the construction of road systems and thermal power generation in Pakistan. I am pained to say that no mention was made about water storage dams or hydro electric dams in the entire plan. As such it appeared to be a waterless vision. Nature has created a fresh water lake at Attabad on Indus River due to a mountain slide blocking the river. The P.M, while proudly mentioning the construction of a seven mile underground tunnel at a cost of 27 billion rupees to link the destroyed road of Shah-rai-Resham ignored the use of the fresh water lake of 23 miles length and 2 to 3 miles width freely provided by providence for drinking and agricultural purposes. China is exporting fresh water from its fresh water lake to Taiwan by mean of an 1.8 miles long under sea pipe at a cost of 1.3 billion $ but we are being ungrateful to a free gift of nature not to make use of our lake. Even if a fresh water bottling plant was built near Attabad lake it could have provided billions of $ in the form of exporting the filtered water. But this was not to be thank to the water blind policy of our rulers that would take us nowhere as per present policy that are purely anti national at the behest of vested interest parties in the government.
DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI,
Lahore, August 15.