Slams govt’s decision of building new canals on Indus River
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N to make decisions based on consensus rather than unilaterally, cautioning that ignoring smaller provinces could lead to discord.
Addressing a gathering in Larkana, Bilawal criticised PML-N’s governance approach. “If they want to govern successfully, they must make decisions with mutual agreement. They seem to believe they have a two-thirds majority and do not need to consult anyone,” he said.
The PPP chief stressed the need for equitable resource distribution, highlighting water as a basic right for all provinces. “The federal government must ensure that provinces receive their rightful share,” he asserted.
Bilawal recalled that the PPP supported the PML-N’s prime ministerial candidate based on a mutual understanding. “We voted for their prime minister with the hope that our grievances would be addressed seriously,” he said.
However, he criticised the federal government’s attitude toward smaller provinces, claiming it had failed to honour commitments on development projects. “It was agreed that the Public Sector Development Programme would be prepared in collaboration with provinces, but this has not been the case,” he added. Bilawal singled out PML-N’s approach as dismissive of provincial rights. “They think their majority gives them the authority to make one-sided controversial decisions. Let me remind them, they don’t have the kind of majority to act unilaterally,” he said.
He compared recent decisions about canal infrastructure to the controversial Kalabagh Dam project. “The decision to construct canals was made unilaterally, just like the Kalabagh Dam. Resistance to such projects didn’t start in Sindh but in KP, and we ensured such contentious plans weren’t implemented,” he explained.
Bilawal warned that federal harmony hinges on consensus-based decision-making, reiterating that divisive policies could jeopardise the stability of the PML-N government.
Bhutto castigated the government over “slow internet speed” in the country, wondering why fish only cut Pakistan’s undersea fibre optics cable.
“PML-N’s politics is based on motorways […] infrastructure for our generation is digitalisation, internet and its speed,” Bilawal said while speaking to journalists in Ratodero.
