Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday issued a warning to the federal government and claimed that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has the power to reduce the PML-N-led coalition but choose restraint to prevent a political crisis.
In a speech with a private news channel, he said, “We have endless capacity. We can overthrow them, but we will not to avoid any crisis.” He warned the center, “don’t push us to the point where a decision is made that causes everyone to lose.”
The minister of the principal repeated PPP’s permanent opposition to the federally supported channel project during the Green Pakistan initiative. “The people of Sindh will now only agree on one thing – that this project should be abandoned,” he said, calling the controversial plan the only source of the ongoing crisis.
Shah criticized the federal government’s handling of the channel question, which has given rise to widespread protests over Sindh. In response to a 72-hour ultimatum issued by protesters, he revealed that the federal government had initiated conversations about the matter and that the dialogue progressed.
He confirmed that the construction of over RS250 billion channel project has currently been stopped due to pressure from the SINDH government, adding that it had not yet received approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The minister raised concerns about the water distribution and questioned the center of where the extra water for the six new channels would be picked up. He emphasized that any such project must be approved with the consent of the lower ripar provinces.
The government had sought permission from the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for the project, pointing out that 27% of the river water is flowing into the sea.
However, Murad noted that the proposal did not mention water conservation measures and said that the Sindh government has formally challenged IRSA’s certification. “This case has been pending with the Council for Common Interest (CCI) since June last year,” he added.
