Peoples Party deceiving people of Sindh over canal project, says GDA

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has criticised the Sindh government over the controversial project to extract six new canals from the Indus River, accusing the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of misleading the public.

In a statement issued in response to Saturday’s press conference of the Sindh chief minister, a spokesperson for the GDA questioned when those in power would stop deceiving the people of Sindh. "To hide one truth, PPP leaders are being forced to tell hundreds of lies," the spokesperson maintained.

The GDA criticized the Sindh chief minister’s claim that the canal project was "practically on hold" and that any further action would be taken through the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The spokesperson pointed out that the CCI had not convened a meeting in the past year, which was a violation of the Constitution.

“If the meeting is not held for another four years, will the canal project continue unchecked?” the spokesperson asked.

The GDA stated that if the PPP was sincere about Sindh’s interests, it should immediately call for a CCI meeting to formally address the issue. They also questioned why President Asif Ali Zardari had not withdrawn his directive that approved the construction of the six canals.

"The president should use his constitutional authority to reject this project," read the statement.

The GDA accused the PPP leadership of misleading the public to evade responsibility, alleging that the party had struck a deal involving Sindh’s lands and the Indus River to secure power in the province. The spokesperson claimed that this had already been admitted by senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a key political ally of the PPP.

Calling for strong opposition to the project, the GDA asserted that the people of Sindh would never allow the Indus River to be compromised. They warned that the entire province was in protest and urged the ruling party to act responsibly by immediately halting the project.