ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday slammed at the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) over its opposition to the Cholistan canals project, accusing Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s party of shedding “crocodile tears” on the issue.
Speaking to the media during his appearance in a case related to the May 9 riots, Qureshi questioned why the PPP had not raised objections when the project was approved, noting that the party was aware of the six canals included in the plan. “The PPP knew that the project featured six canals when it was approved. Why did they not speak up when the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) issued a certificate of water availability?” he asked.
The controversial project involves the construction of six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert, a plan that has been rejected by the PPP and other Sindh nationalist parties.
The project is estimated to cost Rs211 billion and has the potential to bring thousands of acres of barren land into agricultural use, with the possibility of cultivating 400,000 acres.
Qureshi, a former member of the PPP, pointed out that the Bilawal-led party only began to protest after demonstrations erupted in Sindh. “Work on the canal construction had been ongoing for a long time in six districts, yet no one raised concerns when land was being acquired,” he said, adding that Bilawal was in Dubai when protests erupted in Sindh against the project.
The remarks come amid widespread rallies in Sindh by political parties, nationalist groups, and civil society organizations, opposing the project. The PPP has repeatedly expressed reservations, with President Asif Ali Zardari warning that some of the government’s unilateral policies were causing “grave strain” on the federation.
The project has sparked a verbal conflict between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led Punjab government, with the latter claiming that President Zardari had approved the project—a claim the PPP denies.
Bilawal has insisted that his party will not allow any “irresponsible decision” on water distribution, vowing to resist any attempt to divide the country through controversial projects. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has assured the PPP that Sindh’s rightful share of water will not be affected by the initiative.
