Why did the political uproar over the Indus river water in Pakistan? Bilawal ate ate, the government is built if the canal is built…
Today, there is a political uproar over the water of Indus river in Pakistan. Pakistan People’s Party i.e. PPP President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that if the federal government fails to remove their serious objections on the controversial canal project, their party would separate from the ruling coalition led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). That is, Shahbaz Sharif of the Center will leave the government.
Bilawal, son of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari, addressed a public meeting in Hyderabad, Pakistan, “The federal government should immediately withdraw its controversial canal project, otherwise PPP cannot work with you (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz).”
Why did there be a ruckus on the water of Indus river?
The controversial canal project for the Indus River has become a cause of dispute between two major political parties. The central government of Pakistan wants to turn the water of the Indus river by constructing six canals to deliver water to the Cholistan desert. But this project has been opposed by Shahbaz Sharif’s leading colleague, PPP as well as many nationalist parties of Sindh.
Pakistan’s Jio TV has published a report quoting government sources that the estimated cost of the Cholistan canal and its entire system is 211.4 billion Pakistani rupees and through the project, thousands of acres of barren land can be used for agricultural objectives. It is claimed that 400,000 acres of land will be made worth cultivation from this project.
But there is a lot of anger in Sindh, Pakistan. Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organizations have held extensive rallies across Sindh against the controversial scheme.
Bilawal Bhutto said that such canal projects are being imposed from Islamabad. He said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif “is still not ready to back down, and we are not ready to back down”. He warned that “if we have to choose someone between Shahbaz Sharif and people, then the decision will not be difficult.”
Court stays on construction of canal
According to the report of Pakistani newspaper Dawn, a government official has informed the Sindh High Court that work has been stopped on the canal project, following the earlier order from the court. During the hearing of a petition filed against the construction of canals on the Indus River, Additional Attorney General Mohsin Qadir Shahwani gave this information to a bench.
