The impression being created that India is diverting water to Pakistan by building diversion dams is self-defeating as it distracts attention from the real problem. India would naturally want to store all the water that it can. It also has to keep spare space in its dams for the ongoing floods. What it cannot store, it must release. To say India is deliberating wasting water to harm Pakistan does not make any sense. All we should demand is that timely warning be given of any releases in the rivers.
India is building dams not to divert water to Pakistan but to protect its own people, their land, their property and their cattle. That is exactly what we should be doing rather than diverting attention away from our own lack of planning as in all other things. The government is secure in the knowledge that no matter how badly it governs, it will still get the votes but that may soon change.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
