HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh chapter president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said his party got the six-canal issue decided through the constitutional forum of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and in case the issue resurfaces, the PPP would not remain silent.

He was speaking to reporters at the residence of party’s district general secretary Wasim Rajput after offering condolences to him on the death of his father Mohammad Sultan Rajput. PPP district vice president Azhar Siyal and information secretary Ehsan Abro were also present.

Mr Khuhro said the CCI was an important forum which had taken the decision that new canals would not be built unless a consensus was evolved between the federating units. He said the CCI had until recently taken decision on the basis of a majority vote, but linked the final decision over canals with consensus, which was a huge ruling.

“This decision has given each province a right of veto,” he said. The CCI has representation of all provinces and it met after the PPP took up the issue with the federal government and that agreement was finally reached. He informed that a committee was also formed to evolve the consensus and see what could be done for improving water resources.

He was unaware whether that committee visited Sindh for the purpose. He said the committee was to see how water resources for the country could be improved for ensuring food security, observing that the food security could be achieved through agricultural productivity’s enhancement.

The PPP leader said he was averse to the import of food when sufficient land was available in the country for crop production.

He said that Diamer Bhasha dam was being built to store water for providing it to Tarbela and that was a new kind of water resource. He said the committee mentioned by the CCI in its decision would take time to come up with its findings.

Mr Khuhro said the forces which were agitating over canal issue did not uttered a single word when India had suspended the Indus Water Treaty unilaterally. He said it was due to the PPP chairman’s efforts that international forums supported Pakistan’s view on the question of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). He said the PPP chairman had visited foreign countries to represent Pakistan’s case on water.

He said the cost of input in the farm sector had increased manifold while farmers were getting inadequate prices for their agricultural produce. He pointed out that growers could not hold crops as they don’t have enough storage, thus crops were sold for inadequate price. He said he had personally told the prime minister to pay serious attention to the farm sector which was facing destruction.

He said the recent rains bade well for the agriculture sector as canals were getting sufficient water flows although rains remained affected poor as well. He said rain-related damages and destruction, including the loss of precious lives, were being reported in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Khuhro said the PTI was facing a chaos within the party, which was reflected in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elections for the Senate. He said the PTI was also faced with a leadership crisis and added that the candidates filing papers against the party leadership’s decisions was a disturbing sign for the party.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2025