ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday called for a consensus-driven resolution to the contentious Cholistan canal project, amid concerns raised by lawmakers from Sindh and south Punjab.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Dar emphasised that no province would be treated unfairly, asserting that the government was committed to resolving the matter through mutual understanding.
He acknowledged the dispute between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over the project, noting that the issue had been raised in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
Despite pressure from some members to approve the project, Dar claimed to defer the matter.
“It was I who suggested that passing the project through ECNEC could lead to misunderstandings. We did not want to rush through the decision,” he said, adding that the matter had been revisited multiple times by ECNEC, but he had refrained from approving it.
Dar, who also serves as foreign minister, pointed out that certain nationalist political parties from interior Sindh were attempting to exploit the issue for political gain. He stressed the importance of addressing these concerns to prevent further controversy. “I spoke with the Sindh chief minister on Sunday, and I assured him that the leadership of both parties would sit down to examine the technical aspects of the project. A decision will be made based on what is best for the country.”
He stated that he had not succumbed to any external pressure, reflecting the government’s resolve to tackle the issue collaboratively. The prime minister, he added, had given him clear instructions to ensure that no province would be discriminated against.
Dar reaffirmed that not a single drop of Sindh’s water share would be diverted to another province. He also reiterated that any decision would be made in consultation with the PPP leadership.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also assured lawmakers that the issue of the canals would be resolved through consensus. He affirmed that the government would not allow any injustice to be done to Sindh or any other province. He described the canal dispute as a technical matter that should be addressed based on constitutional guidelines and the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord.
Earlier, while speaking on points of order, PPP lawmakers voiced their concerns over the canal project, insisting that Sindh’s water rights must not be compromised.
PPP’s Shabbir Bijarani highlighted the significant water shortages in Sindh, stating that the province faced a 40 percent deficit compared to Punjab’s 15 percent.
He called on the prime minister to make a policy statement in the House to settle the matter once and for all, warning that any further delay would only fuel more controversy.
PPP leaders, including Shazia Marri, demanded an immediate meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which has not convened in over a year, to address the issue.
Marri insisted that the CCI was the appropriate forum to resolve the Cholistan canal dispute, warning that failure to act could leave the party with no choice but to seek other measures to safeguard Sindh’s water rights.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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