Bilawal threatens to exit govt if canals’ plan not shelved
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• Claims those planning the project ‘owe their power to PPP’; says his party won’t give up principled stance
• Terms PML-N’s policies ‘anti-farmer’, says those sitting in Islamabad are ‘deaf and dumb’
HYDERABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari minced no words on Friday as he threatened the ruling PML-N against continuing down the path of confrontation with Sindh over the issue of new canals on the Indus River.
Addressing a large public gathering at the Hatri Bypass Ground on Friday night, he said his party would not go along with the federal government if it didn’t shelve the controversial projects, even after acknowledging the PPP’s objections.
The lion (sher) always preys on the people’s blood, and the Shehbaz Sharif government’s policies are anti-farmer, he declared, adding that those planning this project also “owed their power to the PPP”.
He also accused the federal government of denying support price to farmers and stopping provinces from wheat procurement of crop. Not only this, but the government was also taxing the farm sector heavily amidst soaring input costs.
“We couldn’t care less about ministries, we just want respect, and you will have to accept the people’s demands,” he thundered from the dais.
“I thought Shahbaz Sharif will stay away from the project after seeing such a reaction, because he understands that without PPP support, he can’t run assembly sessions or pass the budget. But it seems he is not ready to shelve the project. If that is the case, then we are not ready to give up either,” he said.
In his impassioned speech, Mr Bhutto-Zardari recounted how the PPP had faced difficult times under successive military regimes for taking a principled position, adding that it was again ready to face difficult times ahead.
“Do you think your threats that NAB will fix Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan [Shoro] will scare him? No bhai, PPP jiyalas can’t be cowed,” he declared.
He was perhaps referring to the Rs5bn NAB reference regarding government land against the irrigation minister.
He also congratulated the people of Umerkot for retaining the seat that had fallen vacant after the demise of Nawab Yusuf Talpur.
“The victory gave a message that the people have rejected the controversial canal project,” he remarked, adding that they were the “khappay walay” and not the “na-khappay walay”, a reference to the famous slogan his father, Asif Ali Zardari had raised following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
The PPP chairman’s remark also seemed like a dig at the ongoing agitation over canals by the Save Indus River Movement, whose leader Syed Zain Shah is the grandson of G.M. Syed — a proponent of independent Sindh.
He recalled that this was the same venue where he had declared his intention to oust “selected” then-premier Imran Khan through a no-trust vote, adding that he had fulfilled his promise.
Bilawal believed it was his national and international obligation to avoid risks to the federation, lest it faces trouble internationally.
He said his mother had led a struggle for judicious interprovincial water distribution, and raised her voice against the Kalabagh Dam with countywide support. “When Raja Pervez Ashraf became water minister, he declared that Kalabagh Dam has been buried once and for all”, he said.
“The people sitting in Islamabad are deaf and dumb. They are not ready to hear or see anyone,” he said, adding that their opposition to the canals was based on principles.
“This project will endanger the integrity of the federation at a time when insurgents in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are attacking [security forces] and with international power’s support terrorists were fighting in the name of religion and entire country is facing the fire of terrorism,” he said.
“I am ready to sit with the government with a 50-year plan”, he said, but if they were not ready to listen to the PPP, his party would not compromise on its principles.
CCI should decide
Meanwhile, at a presser in Islamabad, veteran PPP politician Farhatullah Babar described the building of new canals in the Punjab province as the elite’s capture of resources and urged the federal government to bring the matter to the Council of Common Interest (CCI) for a discussion and a decision on the issue.
The elite of Pakistan is capturing the country’s resources on the pretext of provincial share or welfare of the people, the PPP leader said.
He urged the federal government to declare a National Drought Emergency in the country to address the issue of wastage of water as Pakistan’s name has been placed in the list of 10 most water-deficient countries of the world.
Mr Babar said that six additional canals are being carved out in Punjab under the corporate farming initiative of the federal government without first clarifying from where water will be fetched for these canals.
Elaborating his point further, the PPP leader said it is not clear if these six canals will get water from the already decided water share of Punjab or water will be provided to these canals from the River.
Syed Irfan Raza also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025
