KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has announced a protest campaign against the controversial six-canal project starting March 25
Addressing a press conference in Karachi alongside PPP Sindh leaders Waqar Mehdi and Aijaz Dhamrah, PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro declared the party’s plan for large-scale protests.
He stated that rallies would be organized on March 25 across Sindh’s district headquarters, and protests would be staged in every street.
Khuhro asserted that the six-canal project is illegal and should not proceed. He emphasized that PPP will oppose the project through all constitutional forums, including assemblies and public demonstrations.
He accused the federal government of reviving authoritarian practices by initiating the Cholistan canals project without approval from constitutional forums.
Comparing the current situation to the past, Khuhro recalled that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf built the Thal Canal without parliamentary approval, and now the PML-N-led federal government is acting similarly by pushing forward the Cholistan Canal and the six-canal project.
He criticised the Punjab government for allocating funds for the disputed canals in its budget, calling it an unconstitutional move. He questioned why the federal and Punjab governments began construction without any legal approval, arguing that such actions violate democratic norms.
Khuhro declared that the PPP would not allow anyone to divert water from the Indus River. He claimed that people from all walks of life in Sindh are supporting the protests. He urged the people of Sindh to unite against the canals and criticised other political parties for remaining silent on the issue while they continued to target the PPP.
The PPP Sindh president also invited all political parties, nationalist groups, lawyers, and civil society leaders to join a united struggle against the project, arguing that a collective voice would have a greater impact.
He warned that the Cholistan canal project poses an even bigger threat to Sindh than the controversial Kalabagh Dam, which, according to him, would leave Sindh barren.
Khuhro further stated that just as the PML-N was forced to abandon the Kalabagh Dam project in the past, it will have to withdraw from the six-canal project as well. He reiterated that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had already rejected the project, clarifying that it was a unilateral decision by the federal government.
He pointed out that the six-canal project was not approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) or any other constitutional forum.
The Sindh Assembly has already passed a resolution against it. He accused opponents of using the canal project as a pretext to destabilise the democratic system and pave the way for a so-called “national government.”
