Sindh consistently getting less water than its allocated share: CM Murad

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Tuesday that the province has consistently been receiving less water than its allocated share, and announced the formation of a provincial water task force to examine shortages, treaty-related risks and problems linked to water-sharing arrangements.

Speaking to reporters after the closing session of the International Insurance Conference 2026, Murad said the proposed panel of experts would review matters related to the Indus Waters Treaty, the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord and the implementation of both frameworks. He said the task force would also assess the losses Sindh could face because of water deficits.

The chief minister said water distribution remained a major concern for the province. He said Sindh and two other provinces were facing shortages while Punjab was in surplus, and stressed that every province was entitled to its designated share. He also described India’s handling of water as a serious issue for Pakistan.

Murad said Sindh had raised its objections to the Jalalpur Canal before the Council of Common Interests, while decisions on the Cholistan canals had already been taken and were being carried out. He added that the province had repeatedly expressed concerns about the telemetry system and the functioning of the Indus River System Authority.

According to the chief minister, the provincial cabinet is due to meet on Thursday, when the formal creation of the expert task force will be considered.

Murad also urged the federal government not to import wheat and instead release local stocks into the market. He said imports in 2024 had hurt growers and affected the next crop cycle. He said Pakistan had sufficient wheat available, noting that Sindh had produced a record 4.9 million tonnes this year against an annual requirement of about 1.7 million tonnes, while Punjab also reported a strong crop.

He said the provincial government had recovered more than 200,000 tonnes of wheat in actions against hoarders, adding that Punjab was also moving against stockpiling.

On the issue of missing children, Murad said the government understood the pain of affected families and had directed police to step up efforts. He said the home minister was personally monitoring the matter and appealed to citizens not to take the law into their own hands.

The chief minister also said the government was closely watching developments in the Middle East. He added that a fuel-consumption cap introduced in March as part of austerity measures remained in place, with further decisions to be taken in consultation with the federal government.

Earlier, addressing the conference, Murad said Sindh was the first province to make third-party insurance mandatory for all registered vehicles. He said the Sindh Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2026, enforced on Feb 23, required insurers to provide cover of up to Rs700,000 for accidental death and Rs500,000 for permanent disability, with claims to be settled within 45 days.

He said digital motor third-party policies had been issued since March and nearly 200,000 vehicles had already been insured. He also said crop insurance had been exempted from sales tax to support farmers facing climate challenges, and that amendments to the Sindh Sales Tax Act had been approved through the Finance Bill 2026 to address long-standing industry concerns.

The report is based on a monitored public feed and is attributed to Dawn Pakistan.

Source: Dawn Pakistan - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017370/sindh-consistently-getting-less-water-than-its-allocated-share-cm-m