The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has announced a protest movement against the federal government’s proposed six canals project, terming the initiative “illegal”.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Friday, PPP Sindh president Nisar Khuhro said that the party would hold protest rallies across all district headquarters on March 25 (Tuesday) against the controversial project.
“The project is illegal and should not be built… we will hold rallies and protest in every street against it,” he said.
The federal government plans to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert – a project that was rejected by its main ally PPP and other Sindh nationalist parties.
According to government sources, the estimated cost of the Cholistan canal and system is Rs211.4 billion and through the project, thousands of acres of barren land can be used for agricultural purposes and 400,000 acres of land can be brought under cultivation, The News reported.
Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations staged widespread rallies across Sindh against the controversial plan.
The Bilawal Bhutto-led party has time and again expressed reservations over the project, with President Asif Ali Zardari cautioning the government that some of its unilateral policies are causing “grave strain” on the federation.
He denounced the government’s unilateral decision to carve out more canals from the Indus River System despite strong opposition from federating units.
“A proposal that I as your President cannot support,” said Zardari and urged the “government to abandon this current proposal and work together with all stakeholders to come up with viable, sustainable solutions based on unanimous consensus among the federating units”.
Addressing the presser today, Khuhro said that the federal government has revived memories of dictatorship by initiating the construction of the Cholistan Canal without approval from any constitutional forum.
In the past, he said, former president Pervez Musharraf built the Greater Thal Canal through an executive order, and now the PML-N government is adopting a similar approach.
“The Punjab government also committed an unconstitutional act by allocating funds in the budget for controversial canals,” he added.
He noted that the project was an “attack on Sindh’s water rights”, and PPP will fight against them through constitutional and democratic means.
A resolution against these projects has been passed in the Sindh Assembly, and the PPP will reach out to political parties, nationalist organisations, lawyers, and civil society to form a joint resistance front, he added.
Khuhro warned that the Cholistan canal project is even more dangerous for Sindh than the controversial Kalabagh Dam, as it could render the province barren.
He stated that just as the PML-N government had to withdraw from the Kalabagh Dam in the past, it would also have to abandon these canal projects.
Khuhro added that President Zardari has declared these projects as a unilateral decision of the federal government, proving that the president is not involved.
The PPP leader urged the people of Sindh and all segments of society to unite in the struggle against these projects to ensure the protection of the Indus River’s water.