Common interests

The first meeting of the Council of Common Interests under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed what has become the largest point of contention between the provinces and the federal government: that of water distribution. The Sindh government has bitterly feuded with the centre over the supply of water to the province and the prioritisation of dam construction has renewed fears that water from the dams will be used to irrigate lands in Punjab at the expense of Sindh’s coastal areas. That Sindh’s problems are being taken seriously by the centre showed in the fact that the reconstituted eight-member CCI now has four representatives from the province and that on the top of its agenda was referring the province’s request for additional water to the National Water Council. While this may work to ease disquiet in the short term, any lasting solution has to involve more efficient use of water, reform in the way water is distributed to agricultural lands and a crackdown on the tanker mafia, particularly in Karachi. A decision by the CCI to set up a comprehensive monitoring system that would provide real-time information on water distribution to all provinces is a step in the right direction to make sure water policy is informed by accurate data rather than nakedly political calculations.

The other major item on the CCI’s agenda was that of power. Balochistan has long complained that it is being denied a fair share of power resources and compensation for the use of its energy resources and the CCI meeting sought to reach an acceptable methodology for paying the province. Sindh, too, has had its issues, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah claiming in the past that Nepra was not honouring its agreements to provide gas to K-Electric. Once again, this is a matter best resolved by the CCI since all provinces have legitimate grievances over the supply of gas and electricity and all need to work together to improve distribution and transmission while waiting for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s energy projects to be completed. In fact, if there was one theme of the CCI meeting it was that progress can only be made on every front if all the provinces are willing to work together. The meeting also proposed standardisation of regulatory regimes in matters like education, food standards and health. For this to work, all four chief ministers will have to come to an agreement and then shepherd legislation through their provincial assemblies. The centre has played its role in bringing everyone together, but the real work will now have to be done at the provincial level.