Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has cautioned that the province's residents may be compelled to protest if a contentious canal project moves forward without Sindh’s consent.
Speaking to media after offering condolences at Cardinal House on the passing of Pope Francis, Shah firmly stated that any project harming Sindh’s interests would not be accepted.
He stressed that the Sindh government had not approved the Cholistan canal project, regardless of who initiated it. Since July, no significant progress has been made on the project, with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) consistently opposing it at every level.
“We’re not questioning anyone’s intentions, but we won’t be manipulated either,” Shah said. “This is a collective issue, and we are united in stopping the canal project for the country’s greater good.”
Shah voiced concern for farmers, warning that even Punjab’s farmers might opt out of wheat cultivation next year. He called for the adoption of modern agricultural techniques, highlighting China’s superior wheat yield per acre.
He also criticized the stagnation in cotton production and urged the use of AI tools, like ChatGPT, to evaluate the effects of India’s Indira Canal.
While urging peaceful resistance to the project, Shah discouraged disruptive actions like blocking roads that could inconvenience local communities.
He expressed hope that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would respect Sindh’s viewpoint, citing historical precedence from the British colonial era, when upper-region canal plans were dropped if they threatened lower riparian areas.
