Karachi: Sind Prime Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Saturday that the Pakistani People’s Party (PPP) can withdraw from the federal government if his fears related to new channel projects are not addressed.
Speaking to the media, Shah referred to the message of the Board of Directors of the Pakistani People’s Party company Bhutto Bhutto Zardari to Prime Minister Sherfins Sharif on April 4: “If this project is not canceled, I will stand with my people and withdraw support for your government.”
Shah rejected the allegations that the Pakistani People’s Party had supported the channel’s projects. He explained that although feasibility studies were prepared in 2018, the projects did not move forward until 2023, which he attributed to PPP opposition.
Shah said: “All five rivers belong to all provinces, and not only the Sind River.” He added that President Asif Ali Zardari also opposed the channel’s plans during a joint session of Parliament.
Shah said that the Pakistani People’s Party will not allow any project believed to affect the water share in the bond. He warned that the proposed channels can reduce water availability for the bond, which affects agriculture and livelihoods.
Regarding the meeting of the upcoming joint interests council (CCI), Shah said: “I alone is sufficient to defend the issue of the bond in CCI.”
The conflict over the channel’s projects reflects the ongoing tensions between the government of the bond and the federal authorities on the distribution of resources.
