After taking down Sindh’s nationalist political leaders as mandate -free units, the Prime Minister’s political adviser Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday contacted two of them and asked for a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the controversial Canals’ project.

Sanaullah called Sindh United Party (SUP) President Syed Zain Shah and Qaumi Awami Tehreek (Qat) President Ayaz Latif Palijo as well as Jamiat Urvili-e-Islam-Fazls (Jui-F) Sindh Chapter General Secretary Allama Rashid Mehmood Soomro.

Shah, who also leads a 17-party guild entitled ‘Darya Bacyo Tehreek [save the river movement]’, The Express Pakinomist told Sana told him the government wanted to find a mutually agreed solution to the ongoing standoff.

“I told him that I will have to consult all the allies as well as with the representatives of the lawyers and farmers before I respond to their invitation to the meeting,” he said. According to him, no details of the time and place of the meeting were discussed. “I don’t know, but there may be some prerequisites for the meeting that we will get to know after hearing all the allies.”

Palijo honestly told the Prime Minister’s adviser that there was widespread anger and agitation in Sindh against the canals. “But the problem can be solved if the government immediately cancels the project.”

While responding to the meeting invitation, Palijo Rana Sanaullah told the political parties that protested against the channels made decisions after consultation. “All political parties in Sindh agree that the government should withdraw from the project.”

There is massive protest movement in the province against the six new channels to be built on Indus. The national and Indus motorways have been blocked by sit-ins over a dozen places, including four sit-ins of the legal fraternity with their central camp at Babarloi Bypass, Khairpur.

On Sunday and Monday, Rana Sana spoke with Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon and discussed the question. Rana Sana said the federal government was open to the project negotiations to depend Sindh’s concerns. MEMON also accepted the need for conversations about the question.

On Tuesday, Sana spoke with SOOMRO and offered conversations with Jui about the channel’s controversy. However, according to sources, Somro emphasized that the province’s other political parties, including the nationalist parties, and the lawyers should also be included in the consultation process.

Soomro impressed with the Prime Minister’s adviser, working with the controversial channels, must be stopped immediately before they start. He made it clear that Jui Sindh had a firm attitude that there would be no compromise with Sindh’s water.

Meanwhile in a statement, Rana Sanaullah said no one had any intention of stealing Sindh’s water. He added that the Sindh government was ready for dialogue on the issue. “This case has been brought to knowledge of the Prime Minister, who will make an appropriate decision on it.

Comment on a speech by PPP President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at a public rally in Sindh, warning that the water distribution issue could jeopardize the federation, the adviser said “many things are spoken in a passionate speech,” but there should be a limit for what was stated.

(With input from our Islamabad -Crospate)