ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned the 52nd meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for May 2 (Friday) at the Prime Minister’s Office to deliberate on the controversial canals project. The meeting comes a day after the federal government postponed the project following sustained protests in Sindh.
According to an official notification, key cabinet members including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Federal Minister Amir Muqam will attend. All four provincial chief ministers have been invited, along with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Science and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal.
Special invitations have also been extended to the ministers for petroleum, water resources, and the power division. Provincial chief secretaries have been asked to participate as well.
The decision to revisit the project was preceded by a joint press conference held by PM Shehbaz and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. The two leaders affirmed that no new canal project would proceed without consensus through the CCI platform.
The PPP delegation, led by Bilawal, included Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Secretary General Humayoon Khan, Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, and other senior figures.
Emphasizing unity and cooperation, PM Shehbaz stated that the federal government is working with provincial governments to build a long-term consensus on agricultural development and water resource management.
He stressed the need for resolving inter-provincial issues with mutual respect, sincerity, and cooperation, noting that Pakistan’s federal structure requires a collaborative approach.
The now-paused canal initiative, part of the Green Pakistan Initiative launched in February, proposed the construction of six canals to irrigate the Cholistan desert in Punjab. The project sparked tension between the PML-N-led federal government and its coalition partner, the PPP, which governs Sindh.
