A meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Monday endorsed the federal government’s move to halt the initiative of the much-contested six new canals on the Indus River until “mutual understanding” could be achieved among provinces in the wake of widespread blowback to the project.

Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the ambitious Cholistan project to irrigate South Punjab’s lands on February 15 amid public uproar and strong reservations in Sindh.

After months of protests from various fragments of society as well as opposition from Sindh, the federal government on April 23 announced it was halting the contentious project until a consensus on the issue could be reached in the CCI. The decision came amid uncertainty created by India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) last week.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam and the four provincial chief ministers attended today’s CCI meeting, which was moved forward from its previous date of May 2.

A press release issued after the meeting said: “The CCI endorses the policy of the federal government as given below: Federal government has decided that no new canals will be built without mutual understanding from CCI. It has been decided that the federal government will not move further until mutual understanding is evolved among the provinces.”

The CCI also endorsed the government’s move to engage all provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for the development of agriculture policy and water management infrastructure across Pakistan and to form a committee with representation from the federation and all provinces to allay the concerns of all provinces and to ensure the country’s food and ecological security.

It added that the committee would propose solutions to Pakistan’s long-term agriculture needs and water use of all provinces in line with the Water Apportionment Accord, 1991, and Water Policy, 2018.

“Water is one of the most precious commodities and the makers of the Constitution recognised this, mandating all water disputes to be resolved amicably through mutual understanding and concerns of any province shall be addressed through due diligence amongst all stakeholders,” the press release said.

As a result, the statement said the CCI also decided that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council’s provisional approval dated February 7, 2024, for the construction of new canals and the Indus River System Authority’s (Irsa) water availability certificate issued in its meeting dated January 17, 2024, be returned.

The Planning Division and Irsa were directed to ensure consultation with all stakeholders, in the “interest of national cohesion and to address any and all concerns until mutual understanding is reached”.

The statement said the CCI also strongly condemned India’s “unilateral, illegal and irresponsible actions after the Pahalgam attack”.

It said the CCI Council of Common Interests, while representing national aspirations, conveyed a message of unity and solidarity for the entire country and nation in the context of any “possible Indian aggression and misadventure”.

The CCI said Pakistan was a peaceful and responsible country that knew how to defend itself. The statement added that all provincial chief ministers also vowed to “stand shoulder to shoulder with the federal government against India’s illegal actions”.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said earlier today that the federal government convened the meeting for today. In a statement issued by his spokesperson Husain Mansoor, Memon said a decision on the canals’ matter would be made in the CCI meeting.

“A decision will be made as per the discussion between [PPP Chairman] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the prime minister, and the issue of canals will end,” he said, referring to Friday’s meeting between the coalition allies.

The meeting earlier amid increasing concerns of traders and the business community as protests against the project have paralysed interprovincial traffic by blocking national highways in parts of Sindh.

The legal fraternity has been staging a sit-in at the Babarloi bypass in Sindh’s Khairpur district since April 18.

Speaking to Geo News, Memon confirmed that the Sindh government had made the request for the meeting to be moved ahead due to the ongoing protests.

The minister noted that the CCI meeting was to be called on May 2, but despite that, “some groups refused to end the protests until the CCI meeting happens and its [decision’s] formal announcement” is made.

“In light of that, the Sindh government requested the prime minister to summon the meeting today, and it is set to take place in the evening in Islamabad,” Memon added.

Responding to a query, he said the provincial government had requested earlier as well to call the meeting “soon but considering the state of the country at the moment, it was difficult”.

“We had to appeal again as transport had come to a halt due to the protests, resulting in economic loss for businesses as well as farmers,” the minister stressed.

Asked about the Sindh government’s plan of action if the protests on highways continued even after the CCI meeting, Memon said: “We are hopeful that if we don’t give them an excuse, even though there was no excuse before either, but the government believes in dialogue.”

He highlighted, “The public interest is important to us at the moment as it was creating issues for the business community and the farmers.”

In a statement posted by the Sindh Information Department on X today, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said the government acknowledged the right to peaceful protest but requested the lawyers not to create difficulties for the public.

He asserted that no legal action would be taken against those protesting peacefully and urged the lawyers to “keep an eye on miscreants around them”.

Transporters to hold protest outside Sindh CM House today

To protest the continued blockade, the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance (APGTA) announced plans to hold a demonstration outside the Sindh CM House in Karachi at 4pm today (Monday).

Yesterday, Nisar Jafry of the APGTA said he had received a call from Memon — also Sindh’s transport minister — requesting him to call off today’s rally with the assurance that the roads will be cleared soon.

Jafry said that the movement of around 30,000 trucks and oil tankers was impeded. He said that on average, one vehicle carries goods worth Rs10 million, be they meant for import, export or locally produced.

In his statement, Memon had called on all political parties and the legal community to reopen the roads to ensure the smooth flow of goods transport, so that no one suffers any further financial or economic loss.

Manufacturers said they have been forced to halt production due to a shortage of raw materials, while port authorities also anticipate serious congestion.

The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties, including the ruling coalition ally PPP, and residents against the proposed project. The Sindh Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution against the project in March.