No new canal to be built without CCI consensus: Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday announced that no new canal will be built without mutual understanding on the platform of Council of Common Interests (CCI) and it had been decided that the government will not move further until a consensus was reached among all the provinces.

He made this announcement during a media talk after meeting with Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari here.

Bilawal and Shehbaz informed the media about the decisions made during the meeting. Led by Bilawal, the PPP delegation comprised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, ex-premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP Secretary General Humayoon Khan, PPP Secretary Information Nadeem Afzal Chan, Shazia Marri, Jam Khan Shoro and Jameel Ahmed Soomro. Shehbaz said the federal government was engaging all the provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for development of agriculture policy and water management infrastructure across Pakistan. The premier said he was grateful that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came to discuss the country’s situation in detail. “India has made warlike announcements and adopted an aggressive posture against Pakistan. Today, we conveyed full details of the National Security Council (NSC) meeting to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after much deliberations.

“We discussed the issue of canals with great seriousness, and he explained in his proposals that Pakistan is a federation and its requirements are that the issues among the provinces should be resolved with mutual sincerity and good intentions and in a good manner,” said Shehbaz.

On the controversial Kalabagh Dam project, he said if Sindh had objections, these must be respected in the national interest.

Bilawal said after detailed discussions between the two delegations, it was decided that no canal will be constructed without total consensus among the provinces. He said the decisions from this meeting will be ratified in the CCI meeting on May 2. He said three provinces had objected to the Kalabagh Dam, and today, a joint decision had been made that no canals will be built without mutual agreement.

Bilawal also condemned India’s statements concerning the Indus Waters Treaty.Following the meeting, the Prime Minister Office (PMO) issued a statement that the federal government had decided that no new canals will be built unless mutual understanding by the CCI. It said the federal government was engaging all the provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for development of agriculture policy and water management infrastructure across Pakistan. To allay the concerns of provinces and to ensure Pakistan’s food and ecological security, a committee is being formed with representation from the federation and all provinces. A meeting of the CCI shall be convened on May 2, wherein the PPP and PMLN representatives shall endorse the above-mentioned federal government policy and any such proposals will be sent back to relevant agency in order to develop consensus, added the PMO statement.