Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured on Thursday that no new channels will be erected from the Indus River, unless a consensus is obtained within the Council for Common Interest (CCI) as political tensions continue to install the controversial project.
PM, who spoke at a joint press conference together with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad, PM said that the next CCI meeting, scheduled for May 2, would formally join the agreement obtained between the ruling Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP.
The message follows intense negotiations between the two major coalition partners with sources indicating that PML-N accepted all PPP’s requirements for channel construction plan.
The breakthrough comes in the midst of growing turmoil in Sindh, where protests have erupted in cities such as Sukkur, Nawabshah and Dahari. The demonstrations were triggered by the federal government’s proposed drainage of six new channels from the Indus River, a step far against the province.
Bilawal, accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other senior PPP leaders, attended the meeting with high efforts in Islamabad. CM Shah repeated the party’s regular attitude and warned that although PPP does not seek to collapse the federal government, it retains the capacity to do so if necessary.
Tensions reached a highlight earlier this week when the Senate fell into chaos over rival decisions on the channel project. PPP legislators staged a walkout while PTI senators collided with members of the reigning coalition.
In an attempt to step down the crisis, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar promised that no decision was introduced one -sided and emphasized that Sindh’s concerns would be treated through constitutional consultation.
Special assistant to the Prime Minister of Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah was also tasked with launching direct commitment with Sindh’s political leadership. He assured stakeholders that the project would not be “bulldozed” and floated the idea of multiple parties consultations.
The controversial RS250 billion channel project has not yet been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and is currently on hold.
The problem has also strained coalition dynamics. Last week, Bilawal warned that PPP could consider withdrawing from the alliance if the case was not decided to Sindh’s satisfaction.
