Lahore:
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday said the government would speed up the end of all hydro-related projects, including Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams, to prevent India from gaining any strategic advantage.
“We prioritize them, so Pakistani water is safe,” Iqbal said, talking to a delegation of engineers led by Secretary -General Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) Engr Ameer Zameer.
He said work with hydro projects was prioritized in response to India’s water aggression.
India plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a larger river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of what it claims to be retaliatory action for a deadly last month attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahaldam, that New Delhi accuses Islamabad, according to four people who know the case, reported Reuters.
While discussing plans for the green initiative, the planning minister declared that engineers received education in China.
“The Prime Minister has sent over a thousand agricultural engineers to China for education, who will end their training this year and create an agricultural green revolution 2.0,” he said. “We aim to develop our own seeds and modernize our dairy and livestock sectors.”
The planning minister observed that financing has been allocated within the budget to an internship for engineers. “Thousands of young engineers across the country will be able to receive training on the job so they get better job opportunities on the market.”
However, he said Pakistan would only have a development budget on RS1 trillion to do all this.
“Our ministers required RS3 trillion to complete our ongoing projects. But because of this deficit, we put a ceiling on low priority projects and will try to complete our high priority projects as soon as possible.
Iqbal also stated that Pakistan will raise his defense budget for the coming financial year 2025-26 hold the recent escalation with India and New Delhi suspending a key flood water sharing treaty with Islamabad.
Earlier, the government planned to present the federal budget on June 2, but on Friday, adviser to Finance Minister Khurram Shahzad said the budget would be presented on June 10.
The planning minister stated that the budget had not been delayed due to any pressure from the IMF.
