Bilawal says building new canals on Indus is “playing with fire”

ISLAMABAD: Chairman People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto has said, “building new canals on the Indus River is equal to playing with fire”.

He was informally talking to media amid grassroot protests and concerns in Sindh over a scheme of six canals on Indus including Cholistan Canal.

Bilawal Bhutto said that the people in Sindh have been furious over the canals’ issue, “The federal government has also been warned to avoid playing with fire”, he said.

“I had to talk over the canals’ issue in the National Assembly today but could not issue the policy statement owing to tragic incident in Baluchistan,” PPP chairman said.

Bilawal said no additional canal is acceptable from the Indus River. “Find some other way to irrigate barren lands,” he said.

“Me and my party have been aligned with the people of Sindh,” he reiterated.

He clarified that President Asif Ali Zardari didn’t approve the scheme of canals from Sindh River.

He said that the Sindh government has referred the issue of canals to the relevant constitutional forum of the Council of Common Interest (CCI).

People’s Party on Thursday tabled resolution in Sindh Assembly against contentious scheme of six canals from the Indus River, vehemently opposed by the people of Sindh.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah presented resolution saying no canal, including the Cholistan Canal, can be built without consent of Sindh, this has been guaranteed in 1991’s Indus River Water Apportionment Accord. “Building new canals on Indus River has been illegal”.