Thank you Pakistan for Water, Says PDP MLA in Assembly

SRINAGAR: After attracting voices of support on the simmering streets of Kashmir, Pakistan is now evoking praises from the elected legislators and councillors in Jammu and Kashmir Legislature, which is currently sitting for the budget session.

On Wednesday, while speaking during the discussion and voting on the demands for grants for Agriculture Production, Horticulture and Cooperative departments, a ruling PDP legislator said people in his constituency are still dependent for water from Pakistan to irrigate their agricultural lands.

“I am seeking water from Pakistan to irrigate agricultural land of people in my constituency. I am thankful to the country for not letting my people down,” Manzoor said in the lower house.

The legislator was discussing lack of irrigation facilities in his assembly segment. He demanded that the J&K government should intervene to address the problem faced by the people in his far-flung tehsil. Manzoor also said his constituency lacks other facilities and that the Cooperatives building promised to the area has not been constructed yet.

His remarks came a day after another member of the legislature, Javaid Murchil, who has been elected to the legislative council by the PDP, said Dahni Sadpora village in Karnah tehsil is still dependent on Pakistan for irrigating its agriculture land.

“Every year, poor farmers from the village collect money in a handkerchief and throw it to the other side so that water for irrigation is supplied to them,” the PDP legislator had said, adding that despite bringing the issue into the notice of successive governments, nothing changed on ground.

On June 4, Congress legislator from Nubra constituency in the arid Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal, expressed gratitude to Pakistan and China for the development activities in the cold desert region.

"The credit for the development of my constituency goes to Pakistan and China. It is only because of these two neighbouring countries that development took place in my constituency," Namgyal said in the Legislative assembly.

"Development is taking place there only due to defence purposes. Thanks to China, thanks to Pakistan," he added.