Voices in the Punjab Assembly have been raised in support of the Kalabagh Dam. Treasury legislators on Friday called on Prime Minister Gilani to announce the immediate commencement of its construction. It should be realized that while the KBD is essential, it alone cannot end the loadshedding crisis. For that it is necessary to develop all energy resources: hydel, wind, solar power and coal. Kalabagh will also store water and act as a flood control mechanism, no mean advantage in a country that experiences flooding annually in its river system.

As one Treasury member put it rightly, political parties should put aside their differences and work for the national interest in this matter. The dam’s building is stymied only because some landlords in Sindh whose lands will no longer be flood-irrigated for free, have joined hands with pro-Indian elements in KPK, to oppose It. However, the country has a greater intrinsic interest in its construction. The Punjab government must increase the money allocated in the provincial budget for the dam and spend it judiciously. As the 18th Amendment has enhanced the powers of the provinces, the decision to build the Kalabagh Dam can be taken by the Punjab now, and it must do so, for if the federal government is not paying attention to the power crisis, the Punjab government will have to.
The Punjab government can put no finer feather in its cap than to begin its construction, and show that it has more concern for the people’ miseries  than the federal government, which is holding up the project merely because of a narrow interest within its ruling party and a coalition partner. The voices coming forth during the budget debate should move the provincial government to act forcefully and decisively.