Senate panel to take up provincial water sharing issue

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination unanimously decided to take the issue of water sharing of the provinces and invited representatives from Punjab and Sindh in Indus River System Authority (IRSA) alongside Chairman IRSA, Secretary Ministry of Water Resources and Secretary Ministry of Energy (Power Division) to discuss the issue.

The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination was held on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of Senator Mian Raza Rabbani. It analyzed various aspects of role and functions of the Ministry.

On the role of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination pertaining to the water issues between the provinces, the IPCC Ministry said the issue was not taken up by the CCI. While discussing the role of the ministry in re-conciliation of sales tax collected by the federal government and sales tax on goods collected by the provinces, the committee directed the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination to obtain a written reply from the FBR and place it before the committee.

Taking up the letter written by the CM Sindh to Prime Minister asking for referring the CCI’s decision taken by a majority vote on the 2017 census, the committee was informed that Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination had no role in the said subject as the authority to summon a joint sitting of the parliament lies with the Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan. On a query, the IPC Ministry stated that so far 29 meetings were held headed by the minister. The last was on 14th January, 2021.