PA for Authority reconstitution

LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly members on Saturday demanded the reconstitution of the Indus River System Authority, maintaining that all the provinces should be given equal representation. Sardar Mohsin Khan Leghari of PML-Q, while launching bitter diatribe against Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, maintained that the latter was an industrialist, and did not bother much even after seeing farmers being crushed because of water shortage. He (CM) did not know about the cut in water-share of the Punjab even after learning through media reported, and he reacted pretty late when the Opposition raised voice against it, he observed, adding that his (Legharis) fellows wanted to move a resolution regarding the issue because of its importance. As usual, Minister Prisons Ch Abdul Ghafoor came with his rhetoric of spelling out embroidered slogans about his leadership. Leader of the Opposition Ch Zaheer-ud-Din mentioned that the Taunsa Barrage irrigated 1.293 million acres. What will this land produce if either there is a cut in the water supply or no water is provided? he questioned, while proposing that the IRSA should be reconstituted as Sindh had two members in the Authority, and other provinces had one member each. Secondly, another impartial member from the Centre should be added in the reconstituted-committee, he demanded. He objected to the fact that during a recent IRSA meeting at Karachi, chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari, the Punjab member was not invited. Punjab Finance Minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, while mentioning that General Pervez Musharraf had included two members from Sindh, told the House that report regarding apportionment of water among provinces would be presented before the Punjab Assembly on Monday (June 29). Senior Punjab Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad is in Islamabad and he will present the report before the house on Monday, said Kaira, adding that the water would be distributed among the provinces as per 1991 apportionment accord, and said Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had discussed this issue with Shahbaz Sharif. Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal told Mohsin Leghari - who wanted to bring resolution on the issue - that it would be decided when Raja Riaz would comeback from Islamabad, and submit his report on Monday. On a point of Order, Treasurys Mian Muhammad Rafique bitterly criticised the military ruler by maintaining that one General (Ayub Khan) sold three rivers to India. The second (General Ziaul Haq) did not allow construction of the Kalabagh Dam, and the third (General Pervez Musharraf) allowed India to construct dams on the remaining rivers. Today we face water shortage because of them, he added, demanding of the Speaker for fixing one day to discuss the water issue. Opposition member Ch Sher Ali also demanded reconstitution of the IRSA, and construction of the Kalabagh Dam.