The PML-N on Monday agreed to address its coalition partner PPP’s reservations about the controversial canal project during a second telephonic conversation, according to a statement from the ruling party.
Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah and Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon agreed to resolve the contentious canals project issue through dialogue during a telephone call between them, the latter’s spokesperson said on Sunday.
Memon said that the Sindh government had given its stance on the canals project at every forum. “The PPP and the people of Sindh have serious reservations about the disputed canals,” he said. “The PPP wants fair distribution of water for the people of Sindh under the 1991 agreement.”
However, Memon said that the PPP “is also willing to hold talks with the federal government on the canals issue”.
According to the PML-N’s statement today, Sanaullah spoke with Memon over the phone, where an agreement was reached on resolving the issues of water and the canals.
“We believe in resolving all matters amicably,” Sanaullah was quoted as saying. “According to the Water Accord, the water of any province cannot be transferred to any other province and [this] is not being done.
“Water distribution is an administrative and technical issue, which will also be resolved on administrative and technical grounds,” the adviser added.
Sanaullah was quoted as saying that it was not possible to violate the rights of any provinces and expressed hope that the consultation process on the canal project would expand.
“Any reservations the provinces have will be addressed and removed,” he added.
Both the PM’s adviser and the provincial minister appeared in an interview on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’ later in the day and expanded on their perspectives on the canal issue.
“We hope that the PM will take this situation seriously, and we request that the PM immediately announce that the government is shelving the project so that people’s concerns are relieved,” Sharjeel said, adding that the canals have yet to be built.
“We have expressed our concerns in writing for quite some time,” the minister added.
However, Sanaullah said that the initiative could not even be considered a project without a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
“Once there is approval, there will be a turning process and then it will be on the ground,” the PM’s adviser clarified.
He added that of the water in the system, 53 per cent belonged to Punjab to irrigate 28 million acres of land.
“Section 8 of the 1991 Water Accord says that all provinces can use their share of water as they please,” Sanaullah stated. “The issue is that Sindh is alleging that this [canal project] is a scheme to steal their water.
“If we abandon the project, it will reinforce those allegations,” he explained. “If allegations are levelled, then there needs to be the right to challenge them.”
The PM’s adviser said that he was open to discussions with the PPP and had conveyed this to the premier. “He (the prime minister) will examine the proposal upon his return from Turkiye,” Sanaullah said.
Speaking about the CCI meeting, Sharjeel asserted that the Sindh government had written multiple letters requesting the meeting. “We are ready to speak, but there needs to be a CCI meeting, which has not been called yet,” he explained.
The minister acknowledged that Punjab had “not found a new source of water” and asked where water destined for Cholistan was coming from.
“Where are you taking water from to send it to Cholistan? What water from Punjab are you taking?” he asked. “The water comes from the Indus River.”
Sanaullah responded by arguing that canal irrigation would “save 35pc more water” than flood irrigation.
“Around 30pc of water in canals is lost through seepage,” he added. “We need to invest in lining canals better to stop seepage, there are also other options with which we can save upwards of 50pc more water.”
Sanaullah continued: “This project is still in the consultation stage. The meeting cited by [President] Asif Ali Zardari was a consultation. As soon as the news got out, protests started.”
On February 15, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir inaugurated the ambitious Cholistan project to irrigate south Punjab’s lands amid public uproar and strong reservations in Sindh. The Sindh Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution against the project in March.
The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties and civilians against the proposed canal project. The canals controversy has deepened after Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah strongly criticised the Punjab government for diverting water to the TP Link Canal. The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) claimed to have taken all decisions as per the law.
On April 18, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari threatened the ruling PML-N against continuing down the path of confrontation with Sindh over the issue of new canals on the Indus River.
While addressing a large public gathering at the Hatri Bypass Ground last week, he said his party would not go along with the federal government if it did not shelve the controversial project, even after acknowledging the PPP’s objections.
Lawyers threaten to block railway tracks
Meanwhile, lawyers staging a sit-in at Khairpur district’s Babarloi town announced that they would block railway tracks if the federal government did not shelve the canal project within 72 hours and issue a formal notification that it had abandoned the project.
The protest leaders also announced a boycott of courts by bar associations across Sindh and urged the PPP to withdraw its support for the federal government if the latter did not issue the notification.
These announcements were made by Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Amir Nawaz Warraich and Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) President Ashar Majeed Khokhar at the site of the demonstration during a press conference.
They said that the government did not take their protest seriously and urged them to, as they would not compromise on Sindh’s rights.
“We had started protesting on four points of the 26th constitutional amendment, six canals, Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2025 and corporate farming,” Warraich said.
“We demand that PPP withdraw its support for the ruling PML-N and quit the government if the latter doesn’t announce shelving of the canal project in 72 hours”, he demanded, adding that these decisions were taken after consultation with the lawyers’ standing committee.
“This is not a lawyer’s problem, but concerns the whole of Sindh,” Warraich maintained.
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