ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Thursday that the federal government will pause constructing new canals on River Indus until a consensus develops between Pakistan’s provinces on the matter, following outrage and sit-in protests in Sindh.
Pakistan’s government launched an ambitious agricultural project in February to build a network of six canals on River Indus. The government says it aims to irrigate millions of acres of barren lands and ensure food security for the 240-million strong country.
However, critics say the project would trigger water shortages in the southern parts of the country, especially Sindh. Lawyers, members of the civil society and supporters of nationalist parties in Sindh have disrupted trade and traffic on the province’s National Highway since last Friday, staging sit-in protests over the issue.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the ruling coalition led by Sharif and the largest party in Sindh, has led protests against the project. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met Sharif on Thursday to discuss the canals issue and Pakistan’s prevailing tensions with India.
“We must resolve this issue through mutual consent and dialogue,” Sharif said with Bhutto Zardari by his side. “And today, in the meeting held between the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), we have mutually agreed that no new canals will be constructed until a decision is reached via consensus in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).”
The CCI is a constitutional body whose members are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. The council resolves power-sharing and other disputes between the federation and the provinces.
Sharif said the center had decided that there will be “no further progress” on canal-related matters unless a consensus is developed among provinces.
“Therefore, we have decided today that a meeting of the Council of Common Interests will be convened on Friday, May 2, in which the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and the federal government’s decisions will be endorsed,” he added.
Bhutto Zardari thanked the prime minister for listening to his concerns regarding the issue, saying that the CCI meeting will endorse the decision that no new canals would be constructed without consensus on the matter.
“Today, we are not taking a decision together but are merely agreeing that without consensus on water-related matters, no new canals are being made,” he said.
The PPP last week threatened to withdraw its support for Sharif’s ruling coalition government if it decided to go ahead with building the new canals. Bhutto Zardari’s party, which emerged as the second-largest political party after the controversial 2024 general election in Pakistan, Sharif get elected prime minister last year.
The PPP settled for the presidency and governorships in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, areas where it performed poorly in the national polls.
Pakistan pauses controversial canals project amid protests in Sindh
https://arab.news/4d8rf
Pakistan pauses controversial canals project amid protests in Sindh
- Nationalist parties, civil society members in fear project to build canals on River Indus will trigger water shortages
- Shehbaz Sharif says there will be no further progress on canals until all provinces reach a consensus over the matter
Punjab expands Pakistan-India Wagah border arena with museum, partition-themed park
- The border crossing, near eastern city of Lahore, is the primary land route between Pakistan and India and one of the most recognizable symbols of their often-tense relations
- The site is best known for its daily flag-lowering ceremony, a choreographed military ritual performed by border forces from both countries that draws thousands of spectators
ISLAMABAD: Maryam Nawaz, chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, on Thursday inaugurated the newly constructed arena at Wagah border cross between Pakistan and India, which includes a museum and a partition themed park.
The Wagah border crossing, located near the eastern city of Lahore, is the primary land route between Pakistan and India and one of the most recognizable symbols of the often-tense relationship between the two neighbors. It serves as a key point for prisoner exchanges and limited movement of travelers, while remaining tightly regulated due to security considerations.
The site is best known for its daily flag-lowering ceremony, a choreographed military ritual performed by border forces from both countries that draws thousands of spectators. Over the years, the ceremony has evolved into a popular tourist attraction, blending displays of nationalism with public spectacle and making it one of Pakistan’s most visited landmarks, which connects with India’s Attari.
Flanked by military officials, CM Nawaz visited the crossing and inaugurated the new arena, with its seating capacity increased from 7,500 to 25,000 spectators, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported. The chief minister also visited the martyrs’ monument and offered her respects.
“In addition to the arena’s expansion, several new constructions have been added at the Joint Check Post Wagah. These new developments include a theme park depicting the partition of the Subcontinent, featuring models of a railway station, military equipment and a Martyrs’ Memorial,” the broadcaster reported.
“A Pakistan Museum has also been established within the arena, showcasing the country’s history and culture from the Freedom Movement to the present day.”
In August 1947, Britain divided the Indian Sub-continent, its former colony, into two countries — Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Excitement over independence was quickly overshadowed by some of the worst bloodletting that left up to 1 million people dead as gangs of Hindus and Muslims slaughtered each other.
Creating two independent nations also tore apart millions of Hindu and Muslim families in one of the world’s largest peacetime migrations, which displaced at least 15 million people.
The fate of Kashmir, then a princely state, was left undecided. The Himalayan territory continues to remain a flashpoint in relations between the neighbors, who have fought multiple wars over it.
