Government and PPP Agree to Resolve Canals Issue Through Dialogue

The federal government and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have agreed to resolve the ongoing issue related to canals through dialogue, marking a positive development in the negotiations between the two parties.

Prime Minister’s advisor, Rana Sanaullah, had a telephonic conversation with Sindh’s senior minister, Sharjeel Memon, where both leaders agreed to meet and engage in discussions regarding the controversial canals project. Sanaullah assured Memon that the federal government was prepared to hold talks and address the concerns raised by Sindh. He further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his elder brother, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, have directed him to resolve Sindh’s concerns.

Memon reiterated that the Sindh government had already presented its position on various platforms, emphasising that the PPP and the people of Sindh had serious reservations about the canals project. He stressed the PPP’s demand for a fair distribution of water, in line with the 1991 Water Accord.

Minister of State for Religious Affairs, Kheel Das Kohistani, also commented on the issue, stating that the PPP’s concerns regarding the canals project would be addressed, and the federal government would not make any unilateral decisions. He clarified that the project has not yet received approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

Kohistani also responded to attempts by certain elements to create discord between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP, asserting that both parties would jointly foil any such conspiracies.