India Encroaching Pakistan’s Water Rights While Rulers Busy Playing Power Games: Moonis Elahi

The country is going through the worst dry spell in ages with a severe agricultural drought predicted six months down but the rulers unbothered by the imminent catastrophe are busy whetting their appetite for power. Had there been an iota of concern for the 170 million water starved Pakistanis and millions of acres of water deficient agricultural land the rulers would have long stopped their power games and in fight and chalked out an emergent water management strategy instead. But by looking the other way they have shown where their true interests lie. These views were expressed by the senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League, Moonis Elahi while talking in Lahore yesterday with a group of agriculturists belonging to Central Punjab. In the meeting, Moonis Elahi strongly condemned the present rulers’ unforgivable failure to prevent India from encroaching on Pakistan’s water rights.

He blamed the PPP Government at the centre and the N League Government of Punjab for deliberately letting India get away with its blatant violations of the Indus Basin Treaty. The main leaders of both the current ruling parties were frequently going abroad on highly expensive official trips but not once did they draw the global attention towards India’s criminal violations of Pakistan’s water rights, said Moonis Elahi. He said that after taking Punjab to the verge of financial bankruptcy the incompetent N League Government was now pushing the once food rich province towards an acute agricultural disaster. The people will never forgive the current rulers for their criminal negligence and total incompetence in handling the water issue, he said.

Moonis Elahi strongly emphasized the need for quick thinking and action which he thought the current rulers were incapable of undertaking. To avert the devastations of an imminent agricultural disaster a sensible and far-sighted government would have by now announced several pro-farmer steps including announcement of a Water Emergency, exemption from load shedding and introduction of highly subsidized electricity and diesel rates for the wheat, sugarcane, maize and cotton farmers of the country, Moonis Elahi pointed out.