Bilawal warns PML-N of quitting coalition over contentious canals project

• Bilawal says PPP won’t compromise on Sindh’s water rights.
• PM unwilling to budge; we aren’t ready to step back either: PPP chief.
• "Decision not difficult if choice is to be made between PM and people."

HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that his party would part ways with the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) if the federal government failed to address its serious reservations over the controversial canals project.

“The federal government must immediately roll back its controversial canal project, otherwise the PPP cannot work with you [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz],” the PPP chief said while addressing a public gathering in Hyderabad.

The controversial canals project has become a bone of contention between the two major political parties, which are allies in the Centre.

The issue concerns the federal government’s plan to divert water from the Indus River by constructing six canals to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project opposed by its key ally, the PPP, and several Sindhi nationalist parties.

According to government sources, the estimated cost of the Cholistan canal and system is Rs211.4 billion and through the project, thousands of acres of barren land can be used for agricultural purposes, and 400,000 acres of land can be brought under cultivation.

Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations staged widespread rallies across Sindh against the controversial plan.

The Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led party has time and again expressed reservations over the project, with President Asif Ali Zardari cautioning the government that some of its unilateral policies are causing "grave strain" on the federation.

Addressing the public gathering today, Bilawal pointed out that his party was the only political force to have opposed these projects from day one, asking the government to abandon the canal project as he would not “leave the nation’s side”.

He noted that the projects are being imposed from Islamabad, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was "still unwilling to budge, and we are not ready to step back either".

“If the choice is between Shehbaz Sharif and the people, the decision is not difficult,” he warned.

He noted that the nation is burning in the fire of terrorism, and "you [federal government] sparked a debate that pits brother against brother.”

“Those sitting in Islamabad are blind and deaf — unwilling to see or hear the voices of the provinces. We are opposing these projects on the basis of principles because the federation is under threat.

“What’s the reason behind your stubbornness. We want Pakistan to develop and federation is strengthened but we cannot back off from our principles,” he added.

Bilawal emphasised that the PPP’s vision is for equal economic development across all four provinces and a reduction in inflation. “We reject your ministries; we do not want them, we want respect. You will have to accept our demands.”

Lashing out at the PML-N, Bilawal said, “These so-called ‘lions’ are sucking the blood of the people. Every PML-N project is against farmers.”

He cited the wheat scandal as an example of the government's exploitation of farmers and said that new tax measures were now threatening the already burdened agricultural sector. “They’ve decided to unleash a storm of taxes on agriculture. Where will the farmers of Punjab and Sindh go?” he asked.

“The economic murder of the agriculture sector is complete,” Bilawal declared. He criticised the government’s plan to irrigate deserts, saying, “Now they claim they will green the deserts — but we won’t compromise on the Indus.”

“You should use technology to develop Cholistan and Tharparkar,” he advised the government. “We have faced water shortages in Punjab and Sindh for 25 years. The crisis is real and ongoing,” he said.

Calling for an end to the economic victimisation of farmers, Bilawal said, “If the government withdraws the controversial project, we are ready to sit down and plan the development of agriculture together.”

The PPP chairman warned the federal government against any misconceptions regarding his stance, asserting, "I neither possess Form 47 nor a certificate of being selected. What I have is the support of the people."

“We are political people; we are not out for personal gain. We are not campaigning for ministries or the prime ministership,” he said, adding: “We have taken to the streets to save the Indus River — and to protect the federation.