‘No vote if PPP not consulted over uplift budget for centre, provinces’: Bilawal asks PM to roll back canals project

GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to roll back a controversial canal project.

Speaking at a public gathering in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh to mark the 46th death anniversary of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal stated, “I have fought the battle over water distribution at the international stage. I have convinced the world that we must save our River Indus.”

The former foreign minister emphasised that he consistently raised the issue of India’s water theft during his tenure. “India continues to steal our water, and I have taken on this challenge at the international level,” he said.

The PPP chairman urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to roll back the controversial canals project, saying that if the people oppose these canals, his party would stand by them, not the government.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif [Sahab], this is the demand of the people, not just ours… If we are to stay united as brothers, the project must be withdrawn,” he said.

Bilawal warned that the PPP would not allow any “irresponsible decision” on water distribution and would resist any attempt to divide the country through controversial projects.

He warned the government that the PPP wouldn’t vote for the budget if it was not consulted over development budget not just for the centre but also for the provinces.

He highlighted that the PPP has a long history of fighting for fair water distribution. He reminded that it was former prime minister and his mother Benazir Bhutto, who had blocked a disputed dam project, even while out of power.

He questioned those now lecturing on the issue, saying, “Who stopped the controversial dam project? Have you forgotten? It was Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who stood against it.”

Reaffirming PPP’s stance, Bilawal said that his party has been fighting against the controversial canals project since its inception. “Be it General [retired] Musharraf’s unilateral decision on canals or the policies of the PTI founder, the PPP has always resisted unfair water allocation,” he said.

He criticised the government’s one-sided approach, saying that PPP had already rejected the project in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting. “This project was opposed even in the joint parliamentary session by President Asif Ali Zardari.”

“We are unhappy with the government over the canals project, which is why we are not part of it,” he added.

He further demanded that authorities review the Indus River System Authority’s (Irsa) reports on water shortages, which he claimed highlight water scarcity not just in Sindh but in Punjab as well.

He criticised political opponents for suddenly raising voice over the issue, saying, “I was the first to raise my voice against the canals project, and now they have just woken up.”

Taking a jab at PTI founder Imran Khan, Bilawal said, “When Canal projects were initiated by prisoner number 804, the PPP was the only party resisting them while others remained silent.”

The PPP chief also said that his party would not allow the completion of the project. “We rejected this project before, and we will continue to reject it,” he asserted. He also warned that those trying to divide the Indus River to create regional rifts would not succeed.

“They want to break the Indus River to divide us, but we will not let that happen,” he said, adding that nationalist groups had united against the project, calling for the government to let the Indus flow freely.

Bilawal urged the federal government to listen to the people of Sindh and Punjab regarding fair water distribution. “We are the ones who always said ‘Pakistan Khappay’, but fairness in water distribution is non-negotiable,” he stated.

He credited Asif Zardari for securing justice for Shaheed ZAB, noting that while history’s court had already declared Bhutto innocent, it took 50 years of struggle to prove his innocence in a court of law.

Bilawal highlighted Asif Zardari’s role in restoring the Constitution to its original form and fulfilling Bhutto’s promise of “Roti, Kapra, or Makaan” through the Benazir Income Support Programme. He emphasised how the 18th Amendment transferred power to the people and enabled Sindh to surpass other provinces in healthcare. Thanks to these reforms, Sindh now has an extensive health network, and patients who once traveled to India for kidney treatment can now receive care in Gambat.

Reflecting on Bhutto’s legacy, Bilawal mentioned how Bhutto empowered the poor by granting them land ownership, and now, under his leadership, the poor are also being given homes. He reaffirmed the Pakistan Peoples Party’s commitment to its housing project, “Apna Ghar,” aiming to construct 200,000 houses, calling it the party’s most significant welfare initiative.

Bilawal also spoke about Pakistan’s climate challenges, recalling how he, as foreign minister during the devastating floods, convinced the world that Pakistan’s suffering was due to climate change rather than its own actions. He successfully mobilised international aid and secured federal support, emphasising that no single province could have managed such a catastrophic disaster alone.

In a pointed remark, Bilawal contrasted empty promises of building five million houses with PPP’s concrete plan to deliver 200,000 homes, reinforcing the party’s legacy of turning pledges into tangible progress. His speech underscored PPP’s enduring mission to uphold Bhutto’s vision of justice and empowerment for the people.

He condemned the injustice faced by the Hindu community, particularly highlighting the unresolved case of Priya Kumari, a missing Hindu girl. “Priya Kumari is our daughter, yet she has not been recovered. Hindu families are migrating to India from Sindh — this is unacceptable,” he said.