Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider and roll back the controversial canal project, emphasizing that if the public opposes the initiative, his party will stand in solidarity with them, not the government.
In his speech during a public gathering held on the 46th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at Gari Khuda Bakhsh, Bilawal made it clear that the demand for halting the canal project is not just from his party, but from the people as well. He stressed, “If we are to stay united as brothers, the project must be withdrawn.”
Bilawal also warned that the PPP would resist any “irresponsible decisions” regarding water distribution and would oppose any project that attempts to divide the country. “We will not allow any attempt to divide the country with controversial projects,” he said, reaffirming his party’s commitment to fair and equitable water distribution.
Drawing attention to the PPP’s long-standing stance on the issue, Bilawal recalled that his party has consistently fought for just water distribution, citing his mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who successfully blocked a controversial dam project even while out of power. “Who stopped the controversial dam project? Have you forgotten? It was Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who stood against it,” he pointed out.
The PPP chief reiterated that the party has opposed the canal project from the outset. “Whether it was General [retired] Musharraf’s unilateral decision or the policies of PTI, PPP has always resisted unfair water allocation,” he declared.
Bilawal also criticized the government’s one-sided approach to the project, revealing that the PPP had rejected the initiative during a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting. Furthermore, President Asif Ali Zardari had opposed the project during a joint parliamentary session. “We are unhappy with the government over the canals project, which is why we are not part of it,” he added.
The PPP chairman also called for a thorough review of the Indus River System Authority’s (Irsa) reports on water shortages, which he argued highlight a scarcity of water not just in Sindh, but also in Punjab. He expressed frustration over political opponents who had recently begun raising concerns about the project. “I was the first to raise my voice against the canals project, and now they have just woken up,” he remarked.
Bilawal also took aim at PTI founder Imran Khan, referring to him as “prisoner number 804,” and reminded the audience that when canal projects were first initiated, PPP was the only party actively resisting them while other parties remained silent.
“The PPP will not allow this project to be completed,” Bilawal asserted. He also warned that any attempt to divide the Indus River and create regional divisions would not succeed. “They want to break the Indus River to divide us, but we will not let that happen,” he said, noting that nationalist groups from both Sindh and Punjab have united in opposition to the project, urging the government to let the Indus flow freely.
In his closing remarks, Bilawal urged the federal government to heed the demands of the people of Sindh and Punjab regarding fair water distribution, stressing that while the PPP has always advocated for national unity, fairness in water distribution is non-negotiable. “We have always said ‘Pakistan Khappay,’ but fairness in water distribution is non-negotiable,” he concluded.
