Sherry, Rabbani slam Irsa law restructuring proposal

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, submitted a Calling Attention notice on Monday to the Senate Secretariat regarding the proposed amendments to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Act, 1992, seeking clarification from the federal Ministry of Water Resources.

The Calling Attention notice was also signed by PPP Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, Senator Poonjo Bheel, Senator Sarmad Ali, and Senator Barrister Zamir Ghumro. The notice submitted to the Senate Secretariat reads, “Will the Minister of Water Resources clarify the reports about proposed changes to the Irsa Act, 1992? Such changes could critically undermine the spirit of the accord by diluting provincial concerns and violating the constitutional intent of the CCI.”

It adds, “The Sindh member of Irsa has opposed the draft amendments, which has caused unrest in Sindh, especially since the province is already at a disadvantage in interprovincial water distribution and with Indus upstream projects. There are strong reservations in Sindh regarding this matter.”

The Calling Attention Notice stated that this issue requires urgent attention due to public and national importance. Meanwhile, former Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani came hard on the government while castigating its proposal to restructure the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) law and said it would alter its democratic, federal character and sow the seeds of interprovincial disputes over water sharing.

“This is the third attempt by the Federal Government to impose its hegemony on the distribution of water under the Water Apportionment Accord, 1991,” he said on Monday.

Rabbani said the first attempt was made by way of a proposed Ordinance, by the last Caretaker Government, which was not signed by the President. The second was with the appointment of the Chairman Irsa by the incumbent Prime Minister, which was opposed by the PPPP, and had to be changed, and the third was the latest one.

He said: “This does not auger well for the Federation, as Sindh is already in protest. It has the potential of damaging the interprovincial consensus on the water accord.” Raza Rabbani said Irsa is a federal regulatory authority and falls within the ambit of Federal Legislative List Part II, within the domain of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

He further stated that the matter of water distribution among the provinces should be discussed in the CCI; otherwise, it would violate the 1973 Constitution. Rabbani asked the Federal Government to shelve the idea or elicit public opinion on the amendments, and move in the light of the same.