The Federal Government has decided to form a high -level negotiation committee to respond to the concerns of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) concerning the proposed construction of six industrial channels, Express News reported.
The committee will be led by Darrier ISHAQ DAR and will understand the Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal, as well as the adviser to the Prime Minister of Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah. Water and agriculture experts should also join.
The officials said that the main role of the committee would be to engage in dialogue with PPP leaders and other stakeholders to find a political solution to the objections raised concerning the project.
The decision was made with the approval of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who should also meet President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari soon, to discuss more a resolution strategy.
Meetings between party leaders are likely to take place in Karachi and Islamabad in the coming days. According to a senior PML-N official, detailed consultations have recently taken place within the party on the political and provincial reaction to the project of the industrial canal.
He added that during these consultations, the leader of the PML-N Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz agreed that the case should be resolved by dialogue. “In the light of these discussions, the federal government has decided to form an autonomous committee to speak with the PPP and others,” he said.
The Committee will inform the PPP on the technical advantages of the Canal project and seek to understand the objections of the party. A full technical examination will also be carried out to develop a path to follow a joint.
The Government also plans to convene a session of the Common Interest Board (CCI) and can call a conference on all parties (APC) if necessary. The dialogue between the parties should begin soon, PML-N indicating that it could revise its strategy according to political developments.
