ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider the contentious canals project aimed at irrigating the Cholistan desert.
Speaking at a public gathering in Gari Khuda Bakhsh to commemorate the 46th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal stated that the demand to withdraw the project was not just from his party, but from the people. He emphasized, “If we are to stay united, this project must be withdrawn.”
The federal government’s plan to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert has faced strong opposition from the PPP and various Sindh nationalist groups. Government sources estimate the cost of the project at Rs211.4 billion, with the potential to transform barren land into agricultural zones and bring 400,000 acres under cultivation.
Despite the government’s efforts to push the project forward, it has sparked widespread protests across Sindh, with political parties, civil society organizations, and nationalist groups voicing their concerns. Bilawal reiterated that PPP would not stand by any “irresponsible decision” on water distribution and would resist any attempt to divide the country through controversial projects.
Bhutto scion reminded the audience that it was his mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who had successfully blocked a disputed dam project while out of power. He also pointed out that PPP had rejected the canals project during its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meetings and in joint parliamentary sessions led by his father, former President Asif Ali Zardari.
He criticized his political opponents for only recently raising concerns about the canals project, saying, “I was the first to raise my voice against the canals project, and now they have just woken up.” He further took a jab at PTI’s Imran Khan, saying the PPP had been the only party to resist the project when it was initially proposed during Khan’s leadership while he was in prison.
PPP leader emphasized that his party would continue to oppose the canals project and would not allow efforts to divide the Indus River, stressing that such attempts would not succeed. Bilawal concluded by urging the federal government to listen to the demands of the people of Sindh and Punjab for fair water distribution, stating, “We have always said ‘Pakistan Khappay,’ but fairness in water distribution is non-negotiable.”
