Punjab, Sindh trade barbs over canal issue

LAHORE/KARACHI: A heated war of words erupted between Punjab and Sindh on Saturday over canal development projects after the Punjab information minister said that the president had signed the document but the Sindh senior minister claiming that the president had no authority to approve new development projects in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that the Cholistan canals project was being unnecessarily politicised in Sindh, despite having documented approval from President Asif Ali Zardari.

She refrained from directly responding to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks, emphasizing that the canal issue cannot be resolved through rallies or media statements. “We are not in a fight, but they continue launching verbal attacks,” she said.

Reacting to Punjab information minister’s presser, Sindh Senior Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon, meanwhile, said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would never allow the construction of new canals as it firmly stood with the masses in the province who were vehemently opposed to the new irrigation projects on the Indus River.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, the senior minister said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday had given an unequivocal policy statement against the proposed construction of new canals while recognising it as the biggest issue for the people of Sindh. Bilawal, in his address, had clearly stated that they wouldn’t let construction of new irrigation canals in the country, said Memon. He said that Bilawal had emphatically informed the participants of the public meeting at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh that the PPP stood with the masses in Sindh on the issue and not with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as construction of canals wouldn’t be allowed at any cost.

The minister said that the Punjab government authorities have yet to inform the relevant quarters in Sindh about the source of water on which they would rely upon to operate the proposed new irrigation canals in their province. Memon recalled that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had led a protest sit-in at the Sindh-Punjab border to agitate against the proposed construction of Kalabagh Dam. He said the PPP was the first political entity in the country that raised the issue of proposed irrigation canals in the country.

He informed media persons that the PPP would hold a historical public meeting in Hyderabad on April 18 on the issues of canals and terrorism in Pakistan. He said the opposition political parties, which had been conducting the anti-canals campaign, had been unduly targeting the PPP. He said the people of Sindh had the complete realisation that the PPP would never compromise on the legitimate interests of Sindh.

Reacting to Azma Bukhari’s statement, he said that she should first read the Constitution to know that it wasn’t the prerogative of the president to approve new development projects in the country.

He said the PPP wouldn’t come to a collision course with the incumbent federal government. “It could be the Punjab government’s agenda that we withdraw our support to the federal government,” said Memon.

He informed media persons that the PPP believed in doing politics in a mature way with best efforts to protect the genuine interests of the people, as this pro-peace policy of his party would always continue.

He said that some unwise elements in the PMLN issued public statements without going through the Constitution. He told journalists that the PPP desired that the four provinces in the country work in harmony and unity for the progress of the country.

The Sindh senior minister said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari had always strived to strengthen the country. He lamented that the political elements that supported the Kalabgah Dam project in the past had now taken to streets against new canals. He mentioned that the Sindh chief minister had written several times to the federal government to convene the meeting of the Council of Common Interests to resolve such inter-provincial controversial matters as per the Constitution.

He also praised the services of President Zardari for securing the rights of the people of Sindh. He recalled that President Zardari in the past regime had shelved the Kalabagh Dam project. He said that issuance of the NFC award and granting autonomy to the provinces had been two important milestones achieved by President Zardari in the previous regime.

Meanwhile, touching other issues, Azma Bukhari highlighted that the country is witnessing a series of positive developments, while those who allegedly wrote letters to the IMF are facing distress. She hinted at another major announcement for public relief, to be made soon by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. She said so-called YouTubers and the “Fasad Party” are disturbed by public relief measures.

Turning to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Bukhari claimed that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s position was unstable, with even his own party members accusing him of corruption.

“Corruption stories are rampant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but so-called YouTubers and the media are silent. No infrastructure was developed in the KP, no medicines were supplied.”

She alleged that the KP incurred a loss of Rs8.66 billion due to deforestation in Chitral. “Billions were distributed among the Tiger Force under the pretense of hospitals, mosques and wheat procurement.”

In contrast, she said, Punjab has saved Rs1.11 billion through Ramazan Relief Bazaars.