Pakistan 🇵🇰 History

 In terms of the current population of Pakistan, the history of differences between the two major provinces of Punjab and Sindh over water issues is a century old.

 When Sindh came under British rule in 1843 and Punjab four years later, the British, realizing the agricultural importance of the region, embarked on irrigation development projects.  Around 1875, Upper Bari Doab and later other water projects started in Punjab.

 When the Punjab government sought approval for the Thal project around 1882, Sindh objected and for the first time, according to the documents available to me, differences arose between Punjab and Sindh.

 Punjab and Sindh were important in terms of agriculture

 Sindh objected that Punjab should not be allowed any water project on the Indus unless Sindh's water needs are met.

 The British government, accepting Sindh's objections, rejected the Punjab's 'Thal Project' project and the differences between Punjab and Sindh began to grow.

 At the beginning of the twentieth century, the India Irrigation Commission was set up and this commission formally asked Punjab to seek Sindh's consent before embarking on any water project on the Indus River System.

 Meanwhile, the gap between the two provinces on various projects widened and in 1919 the Government of India Act was enacted which made it mandatory that in case of differences over water projects in Punjab and Sindh, the final decision should be made by the Viceroy.  The parties will be bound to abide by it.

 When Sindh submitted a plan to build the Sukkur Barrage to Lord Chelmsford in 1919, Punjab again submitted the Thal project.

 The Lord approved the Sukkur Barrage and the Thal project, saying that the Punjab project on the Indus would not be approved until the needs of Sindh were met.

 Punjab and Sindh were important in terms of agriculture and since the British government had already completed some projects in Punjab and Sukkur Barrage was the first project of their time in Sindh, work on it started.

 When Lord Chelmsford was replaced by Lord Reading by the British Government, in 1925, Punjab submitted for the third time the Thal Project, a proposed water project on the Indus River.  Sindh reiterated its objection that there are five other rivers in Punjab besides the Indus, so none of its water projects on the Indus should be approved until the needs of Sindh are met and Lord Reading also rejected the Punjab project.

 The Sindh-Punjab Agreement was signed in 1945

 Rejecting the Thal project, Lord Reading wrote that Sindh was "on the brink of the river and the project is being rejected in their interest".  As a result, differences over water projects in Punjab and Sindh continued to grow.

 Following differences and mistrust over irrigation projects in Punjab and Sindh, the British government set up two commissions.  The Anderson Commission was formed in 1935 and the Rao Commission in 1941, but the recommendations of any commission could not be agreed between Punjab and Sindh.

 The last time the British government signed the Sindh-Punjab Agreement was in 1945, under which Punjab had to provide funds for barrages and other water projects in Sindh in exchange for water projects on the Indus River.

 But after the agreement, on October 13, 1945, the Secretary Irrigation of Punjab wrote a letter to the Secretary Finance of Sindh saying that Punjab could not pay.  Later it was divided and became Pakistan and this agreement could not be implemented.

 After the formation of Pakistan, four commissions and committees were formed but unfortunately the recommendations of any commission or committee could not be agreed upon in both the provinces.

 Water distribution system in the country

 The Akhtar Committee was formed in 1968, the Fazal Akbar Commission in 1907, the Anwar-ul-Haq Commission in 1981 and the Haleem Committee in 1983.

 After the formation of Pakistan on the Indus River in Kotri in Sindh Province and in Punjab

 Jinnah became a barrage and Punjab built a canal called Thal from this barrage and thus the seventy year old wish of Punjab's Thal project was fulfilled.

 In 1961, when the Indus Basin Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan and the military president Ayub Khan gave three rivers to India and got it in return.

 The money and the money provided by Pakistan led to other projects, including Tarbela in NWFP and Mangla Dam in Punjab.

 In the time of Ayub Khan, Chashma Jhelum (CJ) Link Canal was built and water is diverted from Indus River to Jhelum River through this canal.  On which Sindh raised strong objections and decided that this canal will flow when the Indus River has more water than the needs of Sindh province.

 Differences between the two provinces continued on the CJ Canal and on July 3, 1950, Hafeez Pirzada, Mumtaz Ali Bhutto from Sindh and Ghulam Mustafa Khar from Punjab signed an agreement as the representative of the federation.

 According to the agreement, Punjab agreed that it would not drain the canal permanently without Sindh's consent.

 Distribution of rivers in Pakistan

 But a few months later, Sindh started accusing Punjab of violating the agreement and stealing water, and the differences and accusations between the two provinces continued.  Hafeez Pirzada, Afzal Wattoo and Jam Sadiq signed.

 It was once again decided that Punjab would close the canal within three days of the announcement of closure of the canal by Sindh.

 Despite these agreements, the differences between the two provinces did not end, and in 1985, when the Governor of Punjab, General Jilani, allegedly forcibly reopened the canal, the differences escalated.

 Finally, in 1991, an agreement was reached between the four provinces to share water.

 The agreement states that new reservoirs will be built.  But it does not mention the Kala Bagh Dam.  Only two years after this agreement, according to Sindh, Punjab started violating it and one of the distribution of water in 1994.

 And there was a temporary agreement.

 The Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal, which was a non-permanent flowing canal and later became a permanent flowing canal, gave rise to the idea in Sindh that when an agreement on a canal was not implemented, the Kalan Kala Bagh Dam was built tomorrow.  What is the guarantee of not stopping the flow of water in Sindh?