PPP can utilise its strength to halt Cholistan canal project, says Sindh CM Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said that the PPP had the strength, capability and authority to stop the Cholistan canal project, emphasising that this power would be used if it became necessary.

Part of the Green Pakistan Initiative, the Cholistan canals project aims to irrigate a total of 4.8 million acres (1.9 million hectares) of barren land by constructing six canals — two each in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.

Five of these canals will be built on the Indus River, while the sixth will constructed along the Sutlej River, supplying approximately 4,120 cusecs of water to irrigate the Cholistan desert in Punjab.

But what is being hailed as a game-changer for Punjab has triggered an uproar in Sindh, where stakeholders fear the project will siphon away their water rights.

Speaking to the media at the CM House on the topic, Shah said, “We are prepared to go to any lengths to protect the rights of Sindh,” which he described as the rights of the people of Pakistan.

“If our concerns are acknowledged, there should be no need for extreme measures,” he remarked.

He added that the PPP’s voice or that of the people of Sindh was heard and that is why the Punjab government had not utilised the allocated Rs45 billion on the construction of Cholistan canals project.

CM Shah said that the opposition wanted the PPP to remove the federal government but the party would not pursue their agenda.

He maintained that work had not yet begun on the Cholistan canals project at the request of the Sindh government.

Additionally, he noted that a small model was developed to showcase to potential investors.

The chief minister said that the canals began upstream, but when his team visited the site in February, no work was being carried out. “I instructed the team to visit a canal near the Indian border. When they went there, they found that no work was happening.”

Shah said Pakistan faced acute water scarcity, pointing out that from 1999 to 2024, the Tarbela Dam had only reached its full capacity for 17 days in 25 years, while the Mangla Dam had filled its capacity for only four days.

“If we are unable to fill our dams, how will we be able to flow the new canals proposed by the federal government?”

The Cholistan canals project poses a threat not only to Sindh but also to the nation, and that was why three provinces — Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa —had already opposed it, CM Shah said.

He said that some people believed the Cholistan canals project had been constructed and that is why Sindh was facing a water shortage, while others thought that work on the scheme was progressing fast.

“In reality, no work is currently under way; the media should help inform the public about the facts: the project has not yet been initiated,” he added.

He questioned the justification for additional water allocation to Punjab, stressing that Sindh’s resources were already under strain.

CM Shah dismissed claims that President Asif Ali Zardari had approved the project, stating that project approvals lay within the jurisdiction of proper government bodies and required provincial consensus.

He clarified that the Sindh Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution against the project, with the PPP and opposition parties united in their stance resisting it.

Shah called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reject the project unless a proper consultation process was followed, reiterating that the final decision lay with the federal government and the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which has yet to meet on the issue.

He emphasised the need to convene a CCI meeting to resolve this matter once and for all.

To a question, he pointed out that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the army chief had launched the Green Pakistan initiative in Punjab, not a new canal.

He pointed out that historically when there were no canals, inundation canal systems allowed for the cultivation of four million acres in Sindh compared to one million in Punjab.

CM Shah said that the Cholistan canals project had created unrest among the people of three provinces with mass protests in particular in Sindh.