With voter disaffection rising rapidly due to loadshedding, the government is trying desperately to divert gas from CNG to power generation. This in turn is causing great hardship to the motorists and commuters. There is talk of importing gas at three times the cost. The situation would have been totally different if Kalabagh dam had been generating 3600 megawatts since 1992 and Bhasha dam had been close to adding another 4000 megawatts. Gas would thus have been available for all other uses. Not to forget that we would also not have run short of water for irrigation. The loss of food production is causing severe food inflation forcing 12 of the 18 people to spend all their income on purchase of food, pushing 8 crore people below the poverty line compared to the 5 crore in 2008.
The people blame the political leaders for their misery who played politics with an issue of such national importance with their alarmist statements that Sindh will become a desert and Nowshera will drown if KBD is built.
ENGR KHURSHID ANWER,
Lahore, June 10.