Yusuf this is what i was saying wrt to floods. voice are started coming out from sindh an balochistan.......There is some truth to my CT.
Pressure mounts for inquiry into embankment breaks
KARACHI:
A growing number of politicians from opposition and ruling parties are putting their weight behind the demand for an independent inquiry into the unannounced and mysterious breaches in the Indus river embankments in upper Sindh that led to the inundation of large areas of Balochistan.
Local people and politicians have expressed frustration at the "secretive handling" of the case and the flat refusal by many government officials, both in Sindh and in the federal capital, to say on whose orders the river water was diverted.
The question still being asked is:
who took the decision to breach the Jamali bypass?
"I don't know. It's a top-level decision. The word breach does not exist in our dictionary," says Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo.
However,
former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali refuses to believe that the breach in embankments which destroyed his hometown and adjoining towns and villages was caused by water pressure or was unintentional. A furious Mr Jamali insists there could be a few specific reasons behind this decision.
"I believe there was American pressure on the authorities to safeguard the Shahbaz airbase," he told Dawn.
"Furthermore, it is well known and established that the Jakhranis have a stake in this airbase and the contractors were linked to them," he said, adding that federal Minister Aijaz Jakhrani also had his land to protect.
"I was in Karachi when I was informed that Aijaz Jakhrani along with the local administration and Sindh police were trying to breach the Jamali bypass. I immediately tried to speak to the Sindh and Balochistan administrations, but to no avail," he said. "Then in the middle of the night, I telephoned Corps Commander Quetta who was kind enough to respond immediately," Mr Jamali said.
The former prime minister further said: "The civil authority at present is indecisive with no desire to save the country. All decisions to breach bunds are unfortunately being taken by merely looking at factors such as whose land to save."
This assertion is supported not only by the opposition members but even partners in the ruling coalition.
"These decisions are being heavily influenced by feudal lords of the areas concerned. It's not about saving people, the decisions are based on saving the land of these influential. We strongly condemn this," says Haider Abbas Rizvi, MQM's deputy parliamentary leader.
Several attempts were made to contact Aijaz Jakhrani to get his side of the story, but he refused to take calls. But some parliamentarians, when contacted for their views, pointed fingers at the military establishment, accusing them of influencing the decisions to breach bunds.
"The media is pointing fingers at Syed Khurshid Shah over the Ali Wahan controversy but the fact is it was GOC Pano Aqil who has been interfering in the case," claimed one PPP official.
However, the military rejects the charge.
"All these decisions are for the competent civilian authority to take based on their technical and political considerations. Once they have done that, the army engineers are there merely to execute the job," says Major-General Athar Abbas, the chief military spokesman.
While many appear perplexed, still trying to figure out how decisions are taken to breach bunds, the irrigation department tries to offer some assistance.
"Contrary to what some believe, there is actually a proper procedure to decide if a bund should be breached or not. We look at factors such as population density of the concerned areas, the direction of natural flow, elevations, water stopping points and so on," said a senior official from the Sindh Irrigation department.
But not everyone buys this claim.
"I have been closely following the floods since the 30th July. I am convinced that the government does not have any standard operating procedures in this regard," asserted PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon.
The flood water's journey towards Balochistan started with a breach at the Tori bund, which lies close to the Ghauspur town of Kashmore district. This breach triggered huge controversy as many argued that the breach was deliberately caused in an attempt to avoid a breach at Ali Wahan bund. Some critics and local people have alleged that despite being a logical and tested choice, the Ali Wahan bund has been spared to protect the interests of a federal minister. The breach at Tori bund flooded Guddu canal, Ghauspur, Karampur and entered the Shikarpur district. As the water headed towards Khanpur and Sultankot, the Begari Sindh feeder which is an offshoot of the Guddu canal was breached to save Shikarpur city. The water then made its way into Jacobabad district, causing mass destruction and evacuations. This is where Nur Wah, an offshoot of Begari canal and the Jamali bypass were breached to save Jacobabad city but leading the water into Balochistan. After initially moving north into Sohbatpur, Dera Allahyar and Dera Murad Jamali, the flood water made its way down south towards Usta Mohammad, Garhi Khairo and Qubboo Saeed Khan.
While the government denies any malafide intention, Baloch nationalists have a different perspective.
"The Balochs are a poor and deprived people. The government felt that these people would not be able to do anything anyway, so they decided to destroy our only greenbelt," Fahad Bugti, the nephew of the late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, told Dawn.
They too are demanding an independent inquiry to establish who issued the order to breach the embankments at different places, and to save whose land and property at the cost of houses and livestock of the poor Baloch people.
The irony, as pointed out by many people in the area, is that after causing mayhem in various districts of Sindh and Balochistan, the flood water is once again on course to re-enter Sindh to cause further death and destruction in Shahdadkot and adjoining areas.
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