ISLAMABAD -UNS: Spokesperson Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), Shazia Marri has strongly denounced the federal government’s proposal to construct six new canals on the River Indus, calling it a reckless move in the face of an already dire water crisis affecting Sindh and Balochistan.
“The people of Sindh and Balochistan are grappling with acute water shortages, and the federal government must immediately withdraw this ill-conceived plan,” Marri said in a statement.
She reaffirmed PPP’s stanch opposition to the project, noting that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has already issued a firm warning to the federal authorities over this controversial proposal.
“Chairman Bilawal will raise this critical issue during his address at a major public rally in Hyderabad today,” she added.
Marri accused the PML-N government of provoking public outrage by toying with a matter as sensitive as water. “This is not just a political issue—it’s a question of survival, she said.
With water levels already dangerously low, she questioned the feasibility of the plan: “When the system is already facing a critical shortage, where exactly will the water for these new canals come from?”, she asked.
She asserted that PPP will never allow the construction of six canals on the River Indus and warned that the proposal appears to be a deliberate attempt to create unrest in the country.
President Asif Ali Zardari, she noted, has also urged the federal government to reconsider and abandon this unilateral and divisive decision.
Marri vowed that PPP supporters would not back down until this “anti-people” scheme is scrapped. “Chairman Bilawal stands shoulder to shoulder with the people—just as Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto firmly opposed the Kalabagh Dam.”
Reiterating the party’s resolve, she said that the PPP believes in the power of the people and will continue its democratic struggle to safeguard Sindh’s water rights.
Turning to political developments, she hailed PPP’s resounding victory in the recent Umerkot by-election as proof of public confidence in the party’s leadership and vision. “Despite a joint front by political rivals, voters stood by the PPP.”
She concluded by highlighting that PPP candidate Saba Talpur won NA-213 with a decisive majority, despite attempted rigging by the PTI candidate.
