By Mansoor Ahmad
LAHORE: India is building water projects on Jehlum, Chenab and Indus in violation of international treaties apart from building huge $120 billion storage capability (national river linking project) of 178 cubic KM water from north to south that has environmental repercussions.
Convener of the newly formed Pakistan Water Front Shahzad Malik stated this in a brief given to the farmers, media and civil society representatives.
He said the projects have been designed to deprive its neighbouring countries Pakistan, Bangladesh and China of their legitimate rights to the rivers that pass through Indian soil.
He said as far as Pakistan is concerned the Indian politicians have full backing of their trade and industry.
Shahzad said the Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry in its detailed advisory report on Pakistan had asked its government to use all means to control Pakistan including surprise military strikes, denial of air space rights to Pakistani aircrafts and stopping river water from going into Pakistan by building dams.
The report pointed out that water is a matter of life and death for Pakistan and the country could be brought to its knees by this tool.
"The FICCI is a two faced monster that supports Pakistan-India trade at public forums while advising its government to destroy Pakistan", he added.
He said Pakistani businessmen are now determined to defeat the nefarious designs of Indian businessmen and expose them to the world.
He said the PWF having blessings of the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been formed by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry that has deplored the anti-Pakistan stance adopted by FICCI.
The LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry said PWF has been formed to mobilize the domestic and international opinion on the rights that Pakistan enjoys through internationally guaranteed Indus Water Treaty.
He said all stakeholders including farmers, media, and civil society representatives have been inducted in the PWF. The LCCI president distributed the FICCI report to the media and informed them that it was downloaded from FICCI website but after uproar in Pakistan it has now been withdrawn from the net.
The Pakistan Water Front, he added, had already sought the cooperation and guidance from all farmers associations, civil society and media.
He said unified line of action would be formulated so that the case of the country could be effectively pleaded at the international forums.
The LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry said that after seeing the designs of the Indian businessmen the trade talks with India should be stopped forthwith.
He said trade could only be conducted with those that respect the legitimate rights of each other. Usurpers of basic water and human rights he added cannot be trusted trade partners.
Through a presentation given to the media, the LCCI made the point that Pakistan is on the brink of mass starvation as the process to turn it into a desert had begun because of a drastic cut in water availability from 5,000 cubic meters per capita in 1950s to 1,000 cubic meter in 2010 despite the fact that water availability per capita ranks last amongst Asian countries and Pakistan experiencing severe water stress.
Without water 20 million acres of otherwise fertile land would dry up in a week and tens of millions of people would starve.
No army, with bombs and shellfire could devastate as thoroughly as Pakistan could be devastated by India by cutting off river flows, the LCCI chief warned.
Article Source : http://www.thenews. com.pk/daily_ detail.asp? id=228434
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