KARACHI: Rejecting the federal government’s proposed project of six new canals under the Indus River System, the Sindh chapter of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday demanded that the federal government withdraw the plan and convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address province’s concerns.

At a meeting of its Sindh Council, the ruling party in the province warned that Sindh would not accept any new canal project under the Indus River System.

The meeting held at the Chief Minister House on Saturday was chaired by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and attended by PPP-Sindh President Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, CM Syed Murad Ali Shah, former CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah, PPP-Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi and others.

The meeting paid homage to former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on his 46th death anniversary and announced a massive public gathering on April 4 in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto to mark the event.

Party’s Sindh Council announces public gathering on April 4 to mark Bhutto’s death anniversary

Addressing the meeting, Mr Bhutto-Zardari reiterated PPP’s firm stance against any new canal project on the Indus river and expressed support for resolutions passed by the Sindh Council opposing the federal government’s proposed canals, emphasising that the party has always raised its voice against such projects that threaten Sindh’s water rights.

He stressed that PPP had always been at the forefront of advocating for Sindh’s rights and will continue to represent the people on critical issues like water distribution.

Mr Khuhro termed the canals project as a deliberate attempt to deprive Sindh of its fair share of water. He demanded that the federal government immediately withdraw the plan and convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address Sindh’s concerns.

CM Murad Ali Shah echoed these concerns, stating that the province would never accept any new canal project under the Indus River System.

Waqar Mehdi said that the party had opposed the canal project from the beginning, even before other political parties became aware of it.

The Sindh Council passed several resolutions during the meeting and demanded that water distribution be ensured as per Paragraph 2 of the 1991 Water Accord, ensuring Sindh receives its rightful share.

The resolution also called for releasing at least 10 million acre foot of water downstream Kotri Barrage.

The council demanded that Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canals should remain closed except during flood conditions.

The party called for a telemetry system to monitor water flow from Taunsa to Guddu Barrage to ensure transparency.

The resolution demanded that the chairman of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and the federal representative in Irsa be appointed from Sindh to ensure fairness in water distribution decisions.

The council dismissed accusations from the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) regarding the canal project, calling them baseless political point-scoring.

During the meeting, party members expressed complete confidence in the leadership of Mr Bhutto-Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025