KARACHI: Sheikh Umer Rehan, Chairman of the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), has voiced strong concern over the widespread devastation caused by recent floods in Punjab and other provinces, accusing India of deliberately releasing floodwaters to harm Pakistan’s agriculture and economy.
Rehan said that “India’s act of water aggression is nothing less than an open conspiracy against Pakistan,” which has resulted in the destruction of thousands of acres of standing crops and inflicted heavy losses on the farming community. He noted that Pakistan continues to waste vast quantities of water by allowing it to flow unchecked into the sea. “If this water were stored through the construction of dams, the nation could protect itself from recurring flood disasters, ensure the revival of the agriculture sector, and also produce much-needed hydroelectric power,” he said.
Rehan urged the government to immediately prioritize dam construction and long-term water storage projects, arguing that the absence of such measures leaves the country vulnerable to both natural disasters and hostile actions from across the border.
“The latest floods have once again exposed how the lack of preventive planning forces farmers and cultivators to suffer devastating losses year after year,” he said, adding that the government now bears the responsibility of compensating farmers and providing them with facilities and financial assistance so they can return to self-sufficiency.
Calling agriculture the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, the PVMA Chairman said that strengthening the sector through water management would not only make the country food-secure but also enable Pakistan to earn significant foreign exchange through agricultural exports. Rehan further warned that India’s “malicious designs” could only be countered through the adoption of a comprehensive national water policy. “This policy must be developed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and implemented at the national level without delay,” he emphasized.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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