PPP walkout heats up Senate session over canal issue

In an interesting development, lawmakers of the PPP on Tuesday staged a protest in the Senate together with lawmakers from opposition parties — the PTI and the JUI-F — against the federal government's controversial canal project.

When the Senate session commenced, PTI lawmaker Saifullah Abro requested Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani to allow him to speak on the canal issue during a point of order.

He said the people of Sindh have been staging a protest for the last seven days. "We have submitted a resolution against the Canal project. We should be allowed to speak on the matter," he added.

However, the chairman, who belongs to the PPP, asked him to discuss the matter after the question hour. Abro, however, staged a sit-in in front of the speakers' dice.

The move also irked the PPP senators who rose from their seats and started chanting "theft of water, unacceptable". Gillani urged the leader of the opposition, PTI Senator Shibli Faraz, to bring the matter for discussion in the house after consulting it with PPP's parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman.

However, the lawmakers did not accept this request and PPP senators staged a walkout in protest.

Talking with reference to the project, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said the matter will be discussed thoroughly, and nothing will be bulldozed through parliament. Cabinet members will respond to questions in the house.

Meanwhile, Yousuf Raza Gillani noted that quorum had been pointed out in the house. PTI members responded by saying that no one had pointed out the lack of quorum. The Senate chairman later announced that the quorum was present.

Taking the floor, Shibli Faraz noted that life in Sindh had come to a halt due to public protests. He also criticized the PPP, which rules Sindh, and accused the party of hypocrisy.

He said President Asif Ali Zardari, who co-chairs the PPP, approved the canal project which is part of the Green Pakistan Initiative in June 2024 but later issued a statement against the project.

Once again, a lack of quorum was pointed out and the chairman ordered a headcount, but this time the quorum was not complete and bells were rung in the Senate galleries.

PTI members raised loud slogans during the session. Senator Humayun Mohmand said, "What could be more shameful than government members themselves pointing out the lack of quorum?"

Senator Falak Naz Chitrali of the PTI shouted: "Shame on PPP!" During this time, only one PML-N Senator, Nasir Butt, was seen sitting alone in the House. The session was subsequently adjourned by the chairman until 10:30am on Friday.