PPP aligned with system, democracy, not govt: Afzal Chan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan has said that the party is in coalition for the parliament and with the parliamentary system, and not just with the PMLN.

“The PPP is aligned with the system and democracy, and not the government. Our objective is not to topple anyone, but to resolve public issues and ensure people’s rights,” he said while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, along with the In-charge Peoples Labour Bureau Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed.

Responding to the Punjab government’s information minister, Chan said the PMLN is not the sole representative of Punjab. “The PMLN could be the heir to General Ziaul Haq and General Jilani, but not Punjab because the heirs do not sell people’s properties worth billions,” he said.

Chan further said that at the moment, the country is facing multiple challenges. He said the PPP was ready to debate the water issue while talks are ongoing with the government on political matters.

Chaudhry Manzoor said the PPP never talked about division and the party was not into point-scoring, but the PPP always protects the rights of people. He said the PPP wanted to move forward on issues like terrorism and canals by taking all parties on board.

He asked that if there’s already a water shortage, then where will the water for new canals come from.

Senior PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor said he had raised four to five questions before the prime minister on the water issue, out of which only one was answered.

Chaudhry Manzoor said the first question he had asked the PM was that it is written in the IRSA Act that whenever any water issue arises, a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) will be convened. “A year has passed since the government came to power, but why has not a single meeting of the Council been convened,” he asked.

He said there was a lot of hue and cry that President Asif Ali Zardari had given approval. Clarifying the situation, the PPP leader said the president approves two things: if the Parliament passes a law, or the government sends him an ordinance.

Ch Manzoor said that Rana Sanaullah answered the question yesterday that neither the project had been approved by ECNEC nor by the Council of Common Interests, nor the President approved it. “Our position is that after the 18th Amendment, the President has no authority to approve any administrative work,” he said.

He said that the third question was that the government was trying to snatch the water of poor farmers and allocate it to the corporate sector. He said the existing canals are already facing water shortage according to IRSA’s own document. “Where will the water for the new canals come from,” he asked.

The PPP leader said they claim that floodwater would be provided to those canals. Floods occur for two to three months in July, August and September, then what would happen to these canals for remaining nine months, he added.

He said reverse engineering was happening for the first time in Pakistan; construction starts from where the canal emerges all over the world, they have started construction from Cholistan.

Chaudhry Manzoor said that he had asked the Punjab chief minister, but there has been no answer yet as to which canal will be closed and the water will be given to the Cholistan canal.

He said that according to an IRSA report, Punjab is facing a 43pc water shortage, 80 to 90pc of drinking water in Punjab comes from underground, while Sindh has this problem that 80 to 90pc of drinking water there comes from rivers and lakes.

This is their sensitivity and the issue needs to be looked at on the basis of humanity and not under any formula.

He said the PPP stands with the oppressed farmers of all affected districts against the injustice that the Punjab government is going to do to the farmers of Punjab through corporate farming. They will hold demonstrations with the farmers on this water issue wherever they have to.

He said farmers are already struggling and if crops are not sown, what will happen except food shortage. “Farmers are already facing difficulties and like always the PPP is standing with them,” he said adding that the PPP stands firmly with the farmers on the water issue.