Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday criticised the federal government for failing to ensure a fair distribution of water in the country.

In a statement, Bilawal said that Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal and Tharparkar have been facing acute water shortage while stopping water supply to Sindh at the time of sowing would be disastrous for rice cultivation and textile sector. He demanded Indus River System Authority (IRSA) officials clarify on whose orders the share of water for Sindh was reduced.

The PPP chairman said that Imran Khan should “stop the efforts to make the lands of Sindh barren by stopping the flow of water.” He added that other provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Balochistan, also have the right to get water under the agreed formula while any province of the country would continue to raise its voice if its right to water is violated.

In response to Bilawal’s comments, IRSA spokesman Khalid Rana said that due to the shortage of water in the rivers, the water supply to Sindh had to be reduced for some days but now the situation is under control now.

He claimed that during the cultivation of cotton in Sindh, more water is supplied to the province as compared to Punjab.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan for Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema said that ISRA makes decisions related to water distribution through the consensus of all provinces. “Bilawal’s propaganda that water distribution across provinces is unfair is absolutely incorrect,” said Cheema.

Separately, Bilawal gave a fact-check to Prime Minister Imran Khan about Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program history after the premier shared World Bank latest report that acknowledged the program efforts. He retweeted the prime minister’s tweet and wrote, “Benazir Income Support Program, BISP.”

In the past, the PPP has often criticized the incumbent government for rebranding BISP into the Ehsaas Program, which has now become one of the flagship projects of the ruling party.