ISLAMABAD: A day after announcing the suspension of the controversial canal project on the Indus River, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday summoned the long-delayed meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on May 2 to address the ongoing debate over the controversy.
According to a notification, the 52nd meeting of the CCI will be held at the Prime Minister’s Office. The session will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Amir Muqam. The chief ministers of all four provinces have been invited to participate in the meeting. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Science and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal will also attend the meeting.
Special invitations have been extended to the ministers for petroleum, water resources, and Power Division. Additionally, chief secretaries from all provinces have been invited to the session.
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Prime Minister Sharif had previously addressed the issue in a joint press conference with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, stating that no new canal projects would proceed without consensus on the matter within the CCI framework.
On Thursday, PM Sharif reiterated his stance, emphasising that no water-related initiatives would move forward without agreement from all provincial governments.
He noted that the federal government was committed to collaborating with provinces to create a consensus-driven, long-term agricultural and water policy.
He also referred to the 1991 Water Accord and the 2018 Water Policy as critical frameworks for managing the country’s water rights, both of which had the approval of all provinces.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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