London, Dec 26: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif on Monday emphasized the need for political consensus about the Kalabagh dam issue and said it could not be sustainable if it threatened the federation’s unity.

Talking to Dawn, the former Punjab chief minister said: “Without consensus, how can one think of going ahead with a controversial project?”

The PML-N president said Pakistan was a federation and all the four federating units had to be taken on board on the Kalabagh Dam issue.

Mr Shahbaz Sharif said he was convinced of Kalabagh dam’s feasibility. However, he said, during the past 25-30 years, the issue had been politicized to an extent that facts were buried.

“I am speaking as a Pakistani and not as a Punjabi. The Kalabagh dam is not an issue for Punjab alone, but for the entire Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Sharif said feasibilities of the Kalabagh dam would be of no use if they were not politically acceptable to the other federating units. If the federation’s unity was threatened, the rulers must find the solution through dialogue, he said.

In response to a question about the exact arrival date of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London, the PML-N president said: “He would be here soon.”