• Iqbal says no one eyeing Sindh’s water or usurping it.
• Says no possibility of Punjab taking Sindh’s water.
• “Defeated politicians trying to rejuvenate their political life.”

As tensions between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) simmer over the Cholistan canal issue, the federal government has ruled out the notion of Centre usurping Sindh’s water share for the controversial project, vowing to consult the PPP in this regard.

“Certain politicians, doing the fringe politics, are fanning the flames of controversy…it is not that someone was eyeing Sindh’s water or usurping it,” Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

His remarks came hours after President Asif Ali Zardari kicked off the second parliamentary year by cautioning the House and the government that some of its unilateral policies are causing ‘grave strain’ on the federation.

The president highlighted the newly-conceived Cholistan Canal System approved by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) last month despite opposition from Sindh.

He denounced the government’s unilateral decision to carve out more canals from the Indus River System despite strong opposition from federating units.

“A proposal that I as your President cannot support,” said Zardari and urged the “government to abandon this current proposal and work together with all stakeholders to come up with viable, sustainable solutions based on unanimous consensus among the federating units”.

The federal government plans to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project that was rejected by its main ally PPP and other Sindh 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, The News reported.

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

Speaking during today’s programme, Iqbal noted that the country’s constitutional framework would not allow any province to take share or usurp other province’s water share. “There is no such possibility that Punjab or any other province would take a share of Sindh’s water.”

When asked about PPP’s grievances and President Zardari’s warning, the minister acknowledged the ongoing criticism from the nationalist parties in Sindh, saying that the PPP cannot turn a blind eye to the issue and was bound to protect the province’s interest.

“I believe those politicians, who are nationalists and have faced defeat in elections, are making attempts to rejuvenate their political life by carrying out propaganda on sensitive issues,” he added.

However, he said, the government would leave no stone unturned to take all allied parties on board in important decisions.

Responding to another question about freedom in Pakistan, Iqbal noted that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) created a ruckus during the president’s address.

“If there was no democratic freedom, how can such ruckus take place in Parliament,” he asked.

He also said that the former ruling party was involved in defaming Pakistan at the international level, saying that the PTI wants to prove that there is more oppression in Pakistan than Gaza and Kashmir.