Govt initiates talks on canals controversy

The government initiated face-to-face talks with stakeholders in Sindh regarding the Indus canals issue. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, while a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) delegation visited protesting lawyers in Babarloi, Khairpur district.

According to Express News, Shah met with Shehbaz at the Prime Minister'd House, where he expressed concerns about the proposed construction of six new canals on the Indus river. Sources said both sides shared their respective positions on the matter.

Earlier in the day, PML-N Sindh President Bashir Memon visited the protesting lawyers who had blocked the National Highway in Babarloi, Khairpur, and held talks with Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Aamir Nawaz Warraich and other lawyer leaders in an effort to end the sit-in.

The latest development is seen as a follow-up to the contacts initiated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Adviser on Political Affairs with various political parties to address the widespread protests across Sindh. Memon and Rana Sana had reached out to Sindh Bar Council President Barrister Sarfaraz Metlo by phone, offering to initiate dialogue. Rana Sanaullah also spoke with Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon and various nationalist party leaders.

The negotiations between the protesting lawyers and the PML-N delegation concluded in Sukkur, according to sources. The lawyers presented four demands to the federal government representatives, with the cancellation of the canal project being the top priority.

Other demands included concerns over corporate farming, the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), and the 26th constitutional amendment. The PML-N delegation invited the lawyers to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The lawyer accepted the offer and a 14-member delegation would meet Shehbaz, it was agreed. "Our key demand is the issuance of a notification of scrapping the canal project. Our sit-in will continue until that happens. It would be ideal if the prime minister comes to Sukkur for the talks," Warraich said.

Memon stated that they had received the lawyers' four-point list, which would be presented to the prime minister. "The next meeting will be held directly between the lawyers and the prime minister, where all matters will be resolved," he said, expressing hope for a positive outcome.

Meanwhile, PML-Functional leader, Sardar Abdul Rahim, told reporters in Ranipur that Memon visited the protest site with a message from his party leadership. "The legal fraternity responded clearly: cancel the canal project, issue the notification, and then we will talk," he said.