Sindh -chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah firmly opposed the proposed Cholistan Canal project, warning that his party has the power to overthrow the federal government.
Speaking informally with Karachi journalists, Murad Ali Shah reiterated that the distribution of water remains the most critical problem in Pakistan. He said that water shortage from the Industry River system contradict federal studies, expressing doubts about the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) assessments.
“People said that the Kalabagh dam was under construction, and now the same situation is created with the Cholistan canal,” said Murad Ali Shah, adding that Sindh will resist any movement that undermines its water rights.
Murad Ali Shah accused Punjab of unilaterally proposing a Chenab river channel, arguing that such projects require national consensus. “We have raised objections in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and will continue to oppose this to the Common Interest Council (CCI),” he said.
He also rejected the allegations according to which a surplus of 27 million acres (MAF) was available for the Delta, saying: “If it was true, our delta would be flourishing. The reality is different.”
The Sindh CM accused the federal government of manipulating Reunion files concerning the land allowance for the green initiative of Pakistan. “President Asif Ali Zardari has been informed that additional land would be cultivated if the provinces had no objection. But the official reports of the meeting were modified to justify the construction of the canal,” he said.
Murad Ali Shah insisted that Sindh had adopted a resolution against the channels and would not allow their construction. “The Pakistan People’s Party is a political force, and we will use this strength to stop this project,” he said.
According to Murad Ali Shah, the Punjab goes ahead with his channel project despite the opposition. “We sent a team in February to inspect the site, and there was no activity. Then suddenly, we discovered that the construction had started,” he said.
He also said that the Punjab government had allocated 1.2 million acres to the initiative of Green Pakistan, using solar energy tube wells for corporate agriculture.
CM Sindh demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly announced that the federal government does not support the Cholistan Canal project.
“If the Prime Minister does not make this declaration, we will stand with the people of the Sindh. The opposition wants the federal government to collapse, but we will resist the construction of the canal using constitutional means,” he said.
Murad Ali Shah also invoked the heritage of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, recalling how PPP successfully blocked the Kalabagh dam project. “The Industry river is our life buoy. The federation must respect our position,” he concluded.
