DADU: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has declared in unequivocal terms that no new canals could be drawn from the Indus River as long as Pakistan Peoples Party is at the helm of affairs. He was speaking to the media in Bhan Syedabad town of Sehwan taluka in Dadu district on Saturday.

He said that widespread protests in Sindh against the six strategic canals project reflected sentiments of the people of this province. “They [people of Sindh] know that if there is any party that can get the project shelved, it is the PPP,” he said.

He confidently stated that the project would be abandoned [by the federal government] as early as the presentation of the upcoming federal budget.

He acknowledged that the people of Sindh stood united against the project, and pointed out that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had only a day before told a massive public show that his party stood with the masses, and not [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif on the canals issue.

He pledged that PPP would ensure that the six canals project was rejected [at relevant forums]. “No conspiracy against Sindh can succeed as long as PPP stands strong,” he remarked while claiming that a conspiracy against his party was hatched on the canals issue.

‘Next big PPP show in Sukkur on 25’

CM Murad Ali Shah told a questioner that the Friday (April 18) public meeting in Hyderabad was a big success, and said that the next similar PPP show would be held in Sukkur on next Friday (April 25).

He pointed out that the PPP was holding public meetings against the project at all divisional headquarters, and said such gatherings would be held in Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Karachi as well.

“We welcome all political forces to join us in the protest campaign,” he said.

Commenting on media reports alleging attempts by police to block some roads leading to Babarloi town of Khairpur district where the legal fraternity has started an indefinite sit-in on the issue, CM Shah rejected the allegation saying: “We haven’t stopped any anti-canals protests, including those by lawyers. Registering their protest is people’s right,” hesaid.

In reply to a question, the chief minister said: “Long ago, I had got a survey conducted on the proposed canals project; in fact, I have lately sent some people there [Cholistan] as they [the federal authorities] wanted to show some activities going on there”. He argued that “if some sort of work on a 200-metre patch of the 300-kilometre project area has been carried out, it will be misleading to tell the public that the canals project is being executed”. He said it was actually a 400-500-ft model that had been built.

CM Shah explained that the proposal of canals project had been got approved by Irsa (Indus River System Authority) during the previous caretaker government but work on it had been stopped in July/August 2024.

He said his government had forcefully fought Sindh’s case on water at the relevant forums, including the Council of Common Interests (CCI). Sindh’s concerns in this regard had pointedly been conveyed to the federal authorities, he added.

He noted that the canals project was removed from the agenda of Ecnec on Sindh’s reservations and protest.

CM Shah criticised certain PML-N leaders for their misleading statements on the project, and said actually some low-IQ people resorted to making statements on sensitive issues and later they were found offering apologies.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2025