Punjab Minister defends Canal Project amid protests over Indus water dispute

Lahore: Punjab Information Minister Uzma Bukhari has said on Wednesday that floodwater will be used in the canals project, and Sindh cannot dictate to us on this.

Talking to the media in Lahore, Uzma Bukhari said, Why doesn’t the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) care about the farmers of Sindh? The PPP has been in power in Sindh for 16 years; it should pay attention to its performance. If the PPP uses false statements, it will have to answer.

She said that no canal construction has begun yet, but that is not to say that no canals will be built if there is no consensus. Negotiations do not take place through threats.

It should be noted that protests are ongoing in various cities of Sindh against the removal of 6 canals from the Indus River, while the sit-in organized by lawyers on the Sukkur-Bablu Bypass is still ongoing, due to which traffic between Sindh and Punjab is suspended.

The federal and Sindh governments have agreed to resolve the canal issue through negotiations on Sunday.

On the instructions of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah contacted Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon over the phone, in which Rana Sana said that he was ready to hold talks with Sindh on the issue of canals.

Rana Sanaullah added that Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif have directed that Sindh’s reservations on the issue of canals be removed.

Sharjeel Memon said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Sindh government have serious reservations about drawing canals from the Indus River. The PPP is also ready to negotiate with the federal government on the issue of canals.

However, he said that the PPP wants fair distribution of water for the people of Sindh under the 1991 agreement.