PPP, PML-N war of words further escalates over canals controversy

Punjab Minister Azma Bukhari says Sindh cannot dictate PML-N on how to use floodwaters

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari launched a fresh attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), accusing it of politicising the canal issue and misleading the public as the clash between the federal and Sindh government over the controversial canals project rages on. 

 Bukhari claimed that "hateful speeches" were being made around the canal issue, and questioned why the PPP wasn't concerned about the province’s farmers. 

She said that the Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led party has been ruling Sindh for the past 16 years, and it should "deliver now". “If the PPP continues to distort facts, they will have to be answerable,” she warned, adding, "Negotiations don't happen through threats.”

The federal government's proposed project to construct six canals to irrigate Punjab's Cholistan desert under the Green Pakistan Initiative,  launched in February, has been the bone of contention between the PML-N and its ruling partner, which has a government in Sindh. 

After multiple war of words, the ice melted between the two sides to some extent when the two sides agreed to hold negotiations on the matter after Prime Minister's Adviser on Public and Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah extended the offer of dialogue to Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on the premier's behalf. 

However, the matter remained unresolved with continued heated exchanges between the Punjab and Sindh provincial governments. 

On Tuesday, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah also said that "the party does not wish to topple the PML-N-led federal government, it has the power to do so".

In response, Bukhari said that the PML-N had tolerated the criticism and warnings hurled at it for the 16 months of the caretaker governance and is still tolerating

She also defended the federal government's plan, saying that no canal construction had yet begun and the project would use floodwaters, not the regular irrigation supply.

"Sindh cannot dictate to us how we use floodwater," the PML-N minister said. However, she ruled out the possibility of cancellation of the project if a consensus is not reached between the two sides. 

Meanwhile, senior PPP leaders from Punjab held a press conference in Islamabad, sharply criticising the provincial government and questioning the feasibility of the project. 

Chaudhry Manzoor said there is already a 43% water shortage in the Indus River system and demanded clarity from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on which canal would be diverted to supply water to Cholistan. He also rejected President Asif Ali Zardari’s reported approval of the project, saying that the president had no constitutional authority to approve administrative matters.

Nadeem Afzal Chan, who flanked Manzoor at the presser, warned against dividing the provinces by exploiting the issue.

“They claim to be the heirs of Punjab, but they can be the heirs of Zia-ul-Haq, not Punjab,” he said, accusing the PML-N of selling off lands worth billions of rupees. 

Chan went on to say that the PPP is allied with the system, not with the government. He said that the Punjab government was selling off government schools and causing Rs1,100 billion losses to the farmers.

It may be noted that the federal government's announcement of the disputed project also triggered a wave of unrest across Sindh, and the provincial assembly in March unanimously passed a resolution against the construction of six new canals on the Indus River. 

Meanwhile, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and other nationalist parties took to the streets and staged massive rallies in different cities of the province, including Karachi.