It is very encouraging that the CCI has told the Lahore High Court that it has no objection to the Kalabagh dam. It is encouraging that the CCI has said this because Bhasha dam is no substitute for the Kalabagh dam (not because of its altitude which is high enough) because no irrigation canals can be taken out from it because of the hilly terrain. No canals can be taken out from any dam on the Indus except from Kalabagh dam. This is what makes Kalabagh dam so important if North Punjab is to receive any water from any dam on the Indus, be it Tarbela, Bhasha, Akhori, Bunji, Dassu, Skardu or Katzara. As for the opposition to the Kalabagh dam, the PPP and ANP are hostage to the anti-dam sentiments that have been aroused in the public mind by unscrupulous leaders with self-serving and baseless statements (e.g. Sindh will become a desert, Nowshera will drown etc). Unless efforts are made to educate the public about the issue, nothing can be achieved. Investigative reporting by the press is the need of the day.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
Forget about Kalabagh, it has been politicized so much that PPP and ANP just cannot reverse their stance. There will be just some more politics. It will suit PPP to exploit the Sind card, and so will it suit ANP. They will use it to divert public attention from the issues like poverty, hunger, price hike, galloping inflation and massive corruption.
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