Opposition leader Khurshid Shah in his letter to the prime minister has pressed upon him to resolve the problems and difficulties being faced by the farmers in the light of the statement of All Party Kissan Conference demanding of the government to take measures on emergency footing for the rehabilitation of agriculture, abolishing duty on import of agriculture products, providing tax relief and implementing other reforms.
You will notice that there is no mention of water, nor of the shortages being shared by the provinces, while millions of acre feet of this scarce resource is being lost to the sea. The last reservoir was built 40 years ago and the next will not be built probably for another 15 years. 55 years without a reservoir in an agricultural country. We must be stark raving mad, to put it mildly.
The prime minister would do well to remind Khurshid Shah of the latter’s role in blocking development of water resources without which rehabilitation of agriculture is not possible.
Yours faithfully,
Engr Khurshid Anwer
Lahore