Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to halt the development of new canals, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called for an end to ongoing road blockades and protests, urging demonstrators to restore public order. The move comes after a week-long shutdown of Sindh’s National Highway, which brought Pakistan’s trade and supply chain to a standstill and raised serious economic concerns.
The protests, led by lawyers’ associations, nationalist groups, and civil society organisations, were sparked by a controversial plan to construct six new canals drawing water from the Indus River. The federal government’s announcement, made during a joint press conference with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, confirmed that no new canal projects would proceed without full provincial consensus and resolution of pending water disputes through the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
CM Murad clarified that no formal approval or construction had been initiated for the canals. The project, he said, was only in the model stage for attracting investment and had not received green light from the CCI or ECNEC. He pointed out that the plan was originally moved by the caretaker Punjab government and challenged by Sindh in both IRSA and the CCI.
The chief minister noted that there are two types of protesters—those genuinely concerned about water rights and others using the issue for political disruption. He stressed that while peaceful protest is a democratic right, disrupting daily life and paralyzing economic activity is unacceptable.
Murad also explained that the PPP was not in power when the canal project was proposed, and it was the party’s efforts that led to its cancellation. He highlighted recent meetings with federal officials where Sindh successfully argued against the feasibility of the project, resulting in the federal government’s decision to scrap it. A formal CCI meeting scheduled for May 2, 2025, is expected to ratify this outcome.
Reassuring Sindh’s stance, CM Murad declared that no development project would be allowed if it compromised the rights of lower riparian provinces. He rejected claims that the cancellation was politically motivated, instead calling it a “win for democracy and inter-provincial harmony.”
He concluded by urging all stakeholders to act responsibly and prioritise unity during a time of national challenges, reminding the public that the people’s voice had been heard and respected, and that formal procedures would uphold this outcome in the days to come.
