The government on Thursday announced that it was halting the contentious canals project after talks with the PPP amid opposition from many quarters in the country and uncertainty created by India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) until a consensus on the issue could be reached in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
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. The Sindh Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution against the project in March.
The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties, including the ruling coalition ally PPP, and residents against the proposed project.
Amid the already tense situation, India shut borders, downgraded diplomatic ties and, in an unprecedented move, unilaterally announced the suspension of the IWT a day ago over what the Bharatiya Janata Party government and media claimed — without offering any specific or concrete evidence about their allegations against Pakistan — were “cross-border linkages” over the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after a meeting with the party, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides considered the country’s situation in detail and India’s announcements related to the rivers.
“Today we decided in the meeting between the PPP and PML-N that until the decision is not taken with mutual consensus in the Council of Common Interest, no further river will be made and there will be no further progress on canals with cooperation of provinces.”
He said the CCI meeting was being called on May 2.
More to follow.
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