Lahore: The outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah on Monday
described Pakistan's Indus Waters Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah
an "Indian agent" after he dismissed the widespread impression
that India is "stealing" Pakistan's share of river waters.
Senior JuD leader Abdul Rehman Makki chided Shah and
said his statement had weakened the case of 180 million
Pakistanis.
"He (Shah) is trying to bail out India over the waters
issue and the people of Pakistan are not convinced about what
he is saying," Makki said.
During a recent seminar at the Punjab University, Shah
had said that India is "not stealing our water".
He also said the low inflow in rivers in Pakistan was
due to climate change.
Pakistan had not "lost the case" of Baglihar dam and
instead its reservations about the project had been accepted
by India, Shah had said.
"We have raised objections to the construction of the
Chutak and Nimmo Bazgo dams by India," he said.
India had accepted objections against the Chutak
project but it did not accept those related to Nimmo Bazgo, he
added.
"Pakistan reserves the right to go in for arbitration
against Indian violations (of the Indus Waters Treaty)," Shah
had said.
In recent months, the JuD, blamed by India for
masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has organised several
rallies to mobilise people across Pakistan on the alleged
"stealing" of Pakistan's share of river waters by India.
"The whole nation is ready to wage a war against India
on the water issue. Pakistanis will prefer to fight against
India instead of dying of hunger," Makki said.
"India is not making dams on the water of Pakistani
rivers but also on streams and water channels," he claimed.
The Pakistan government has appointed people in the
Indus Waters Commission who would not dare raise their voice
against India, he further claimed.
PTI
First Published: Monday, June 28, 2010, 18:24