HYDERABAD-UNS : Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) if the federal government failed to address its serious reservations over the controversial canals project.
“The federal government must immediately roll back its controversial canal project, otherwise the PPP cannot work with you [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz],” the PPP chief said while addressing a public gathering in Hyderabad.
The controversial canals project has become a bone of contention between the two major political parties, which are allies in the Centre.
The issue concerns the federal government’s plan to divert water from the Indus River by constructing six canals to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project opposed by its key ally, the PPP, and several Sindhi nationalist parties.
According to government sources, the estimated cost of the Cholistan canal and system is Rs211.4 billion and through the project, thousands of acres of barren land can be used for agricultural purposes, and 400,000 acres of land can be brought under cultivation.
Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations staged widespread rallies across Sindh against the controversial plan.
The Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led party has time and again expressed reservations over the project, with President Asif Ali Zardari cautioning the government that some of its unilateral policies are causing “grave strain” on the federation.
Addressing the public gathering today, Bilawal pointed out that his party was the only political force to have opposed these projects from day one, asking the government to abandon the canal project as he would not “leave the nation’s side”.
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He noted that the projects are being imposed from Islamabad, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was “still unwilling to budge, and we are not ready to step back either”.
“If the choice is between Shehbaz Sharif and the people, the decision is not difficult,” he warned.
He noted that the nation is burning in the fire of terrorism, and “you [federal government] sparked a debate that pits brother against brother.”
