The federal government has decided to form a high-level negotiation committee to address the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) concerns over the proposed construction of six canals from the Indus River. The committee will be led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and will include Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, as well as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah. Water and agricultural experts are also expected to join. Officials said the committee’s primary role will be to engage in dialogue with PPP leadership and other stakeholders to find a political solution to the objections raised regarding the project. The decision was made with the approval of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also expected to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari soon to further discuss a strategy for resolving the issue. Meetings between party leaders are likely to take place in both Karachi and Islamabad in the coming days. According to a senior PML-N leader, detailed consultations were held recently within the party on the political and provincial reaction to the Indus canal project. He added that during those consultations, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz agreed that the matter should be resolved through dialogue. “In light of those discussions, the federal government has decided to form an empowered committee to hold talks with the PPP and others,” he said. The committee will brief PPP on the technical benefits of the canal project and seek to understand the party’s objections. A comprehensive technical review will also be conducted to develop a joint way forward. The government is also considering convening a session of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and may call an All Parties Conference (APC) if needed. Dialogue between the parties is expected to begin soon, with PML-N indicating it may revise its strategy depending on political developments. Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday assured Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon that all concerns regarding the contentious project would be addressed. The assurance came during a second telephone conversation, wherein both leaders agreed to continue consultations and move forward on resolving the matter amicably. During the latest call, Sanaullah said that all issues would be addressed through mutual understanding and dialogue. He reiterated that under the Water Apportionment Accord, no province’s water can be transferred to another province. “The issue of water distribution is administrative and technical in nature and will be resolved on the same grounds,” he said. The adviser assured that no province would be deprived of its rightful share and that all reservations would be addressed through an expanded consultative process. In their first telephonic contact on April 20, Memon conveyed Sindh’s strong reservations regarding the controversial canals, stressing that the PPP and people of Sindh demand fair water distribution under the 1991 Water Accord. He reiterated the province’s willingness to engage in talks with the federal government. Sanaullah, on his part, emphasised dialogue over politics, calling for the matter to be resolved through consultation. He assured that the federal government respects the PPP’s role in the federation and that no province’s water can be diverted to another.