Pakistan is caught between two vices from which we can’t extricate ourselves due to intransigence of our political leaders. The vices comprise non exploitation of our hydel resources for water and power development as also our inability to freely import fuel from abroad due to scarce foreign exchange. The alternate sources like wind and solar also require sophisticated techniques that are not cheap and not competitive. The only resource of hydel which has a potential of 59,000 MW of cheap power in addition to water storage so vital for agriculture lies unexploited due to differences between provinces.
Even the Apex Court is apparently cautious in deciding the case of a megadam like KBD since year 2000 perhaps due to provincial differences which leave no room for settlement of water disputes. Indian Supreme Court has however decided to direct the govt to integrate all the rivers of India to exploit the water resources in an ambitious programme costing hundreds of billions of dollars. We can only keep our fingers crossed and pray to Allah Almighty to bestow strength to our leaders and superior courts to get the nation out of a groove in which we find ourselves resulting in a logjam between provinces about exploitation of our hydel resources that could help us get out of the vice that has held progress of our nation in hostage.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
