ISLAMABAD   -  The controversy over distribution of water between the provinces under the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991 echoed in the Upper House of the Parliament for the second consecutive day on Friday.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Senator Maula Bux Chandio speaking in the House said that the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991 was not acceptable to the people of Sindh as he underlined the need to review it.  Expressing his views, he said the accord was turning Sindh into a desert. He said the province was facing a shortage of water under the accord.  He refused to accept hegemony of the largest province and added federation is not the name of one province.  He said it is very sensitive and a matter of life and death.

He also lashed out at chairman of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for his “uncalled-for” behaviour with the Authority’s Member belonging to Sindh.

He believed that the IRSA Chairman misbehaved with the representative of Sindh in the meeting when the former pointed out that water could be released to the Chashma-Jhelum (CJ) Link Canal and Taunsa-Panjnad (TP) Link Canal only in case of flooding under the Water Accord.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ejaz Chaudhary challenged the Sindh province’s claim of shortage of water of its share up to 38 per cent and asked the Chair to constitute a committee to take up the matter. At the same time, he held responsible all those who didn’t construct dams in the past let it be 'the generals' or ‘so-called’ champions of democracy’. 

Ejaz Chaudhry tried to justify opening of TP-link canal, saying that it was right of Punjab under 1991 water accord to divert water out of its share anywhere.

He proposed formation of a committee, consisting of representatives from Punjab, Sindh and even from two other provinces and a member of the Senate to look into the charges aired by Sindh against Punjab. Former Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani of PPP in response to the suggestion of setting up a committee said the appropriate forum would be the Senate committee of the whole.  Senator Danesh Kumar of Balochistan Awami Party alleged that Sindh was stealing Balochistan’s share of water from the Indus River.