Pakistan is blessed with rivers of sweet water (140 MAF) and a 50 MAF ground water reserve in addition to compensate for lack of oil. While oil has to be pumped out at great cost the sweet river water is free for asking as natures gift. If anyone has gargled with salt water and then had a mouthful of tap water he would recognize the nature of sweet water. An irrigation expert has estimated that one MAF of sweet water is equal to two billion U.S.$ worth of agricultural and industrial output from water and power. As such Kalabagh dam would have given us U.S. 12 billion yearly with 6.1 MAF of water. This would have made us independent of Kerry Louger bill and IMF loans as also of foreign hegemony. Our ungrateful nation is caught in a vice of hefty loans and domination of external pressures that make us slaves of such forces. May Allah give wisdom and strength to our rulers to develop our indigenous resources to make us stand as a proud and respectable nation in the world Amin. DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI, Lahore, May 12.