Khuhro opposes new canals on Indus

Sindh Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) President and Chairman of the Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has declared firmly that no project for constructing additional canals on the Indus River will be accepted by the party.

Addressing a press conference at the Bilawal House Media Cell on Wednesday, he emphasised that the PPP would not step back from opposing controversial water reservoir projects in the country. He also stated that the Sindh Assembly had passed a resolution against any such scheme.

The PPP leader highlighted that the proposal to build new canals on the Indus River had created a critical situation in the country. Of the six proposed canals, two were to be constructed within Sindh, he said, adding that the PPP’s stance on the issue was clear that if there was no surplus water in the river, there was no justification for constructing new canals.

He warned that creating these canals despite water scarcity would mean drawing water from the river to exacerbate water shortage for Sindh. The Sindh PPP president also pointed out that during the previous caretaker governments, a plan to launch corporate farming under the Green Pakistan initiative was announced, requiring vast amounts of land and water. Efforts were also made by the caretaker administration to amend the Irsa Act, but due to public backlash, the initiative was stalled.

Even after the establishment of the current government, similar attempts continued, Khuhro said, adding that Sindh had recorded its reservations and objections to the canal project at a recent meeting of the Capital Development Working Party (CDWP).

He claimed that as per an agreement between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), consultations had to be made with the PPP on projects related to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

Discussing the history, Khuhro said that during the tenures of Nawaz Sharif and General Pervez Musharraf, controversial projects like the Kalabagh Dam and canal constructions were proposed only to be halted by intense public opposition from Sindh. He also recalled a historic protest led by the late Benazir Bhutto and other political parties on the Sindh-Punjab border, during Nawaz Sharif’s second term. He urged the federal government to remove the over 150 illegal water lifting pumps situated between the Punjnad and Guddu Barrage.