Sharjeel urges protesters to reopen roads to avoid more losses

Sindh senior minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday said the matter of controversial canals has been settled under the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Due to the hard work and successful strategy of Bilawal, the issue has now been completely resolved, he added.

A statement quoted Memon as saying that after the official meeting of the Council of Common Interests on May 2, this issue would be permanently resolved. He requested all political parties and lawyers to reopen roads to ensure the smooth flow of goods transport so that no one suffers any further financial loss. He said the public, the livestock and import & export sectors, farmers and the poor are being severely affected due to the closures.

He also said that it would be preferable if the sit-ins are discontinued, but if they must continue, roads should at least be opened so that the traffic flow is not hampered. He stressed that the protest must be peaceful so that people’s lives return to normalcy. He said the provincial government is in contact with lawyers and all political parties, and is ready to hold talks with every party.

He also said that political parties and lawyers should remain vigilant against mischievous elements. Given the current situation in the country, he stressed that everyone make decisions collectively and wisely.

Separately, PPP leaders have appealed to the protesters in the province to end road blockades instead of continuing their protest drive against the controversial canals that are now a dead project.

They were speaking at a public meeting in District Korangi’s Model Colony, where Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sindh leader Rana Ahsan and his associates also announced joining the PPP.

The PPP leaders said the Kalabagh Dam project had been shelved due to the efforts of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and now Bilawal has ensured that the federal government withdraws the canals project.

PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro recalled that initially, merely 300 people had joined hands with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to form the PPP, and now millions of people are the party’s supporters.

Khuhro said Nawaz Sharif, during his term as PM, had announced laying the foundation stone for the controversial Kalabagh Dam project. Benazir, along with other party members, had taken to the streets against Sharif’s announcement, he added.

He said Sharif had announced that the Kalabagh Dam would not be constructed until all the provinces agreed to the water reservoir project. Similarly PM Shehbaz Sharif has also announced that the canals project would not be built until the provinces agree to this plan, he added.

He also said Sindh’s leadership would never compromise on the water rights of the province’s residents. Bilawal had advised the PM that there be no dispute between Sindh and Punjab, especially when Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have already been facing a troubling situation, he added.

He congratulated the audience for the government’s withdrawal of the canals project. He said Bilawal has been supporting the Centre to safeguard Pakistan’s interests. Bilawal has warned India’s PM of grave consequences if he dared curtail the water supply to Pakistan, he added.

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said on the occasion that the mayors of the two main cities of Sindh, Karachi and Hyderabad, belong to the PPP. Out of the 25 towns in Karachi, elected chairmen of 13 towns belong to the PPP, he added.

Ghani said leaders and supporters of other political parties keep on joining the PPP, which has emerged victorious from such areas of the city that had been no-go areas for it.

He said the PPP would win more seats from Karachi in future general elections. The PPP will win the next general elections in the city so that Bilawal becomes the next PM, he added. He denied the allegation that the PPP had any role in granting permission to the controversial canals project. He said that this is a completely baseless allegation.

He recalled that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had issued a water availability certificate in favour of canals during the caretaker government’s rule in the country, and at that time, the Irsa member from Sindh had also opposed this plan.

He said the PPP has opposed the canals plan at every constitutional and legal forum. Being an autonomous agency, only Irsa can decide matters related to water-sharing among the provinces in accordance with the constitution, he added.

He stressed that not even the president or the PM have any authority to decide these issues. He also said that the consent of every province is necessary to amend the water-sharing formula in the country.