Govt gives in, pauses contentious canals project

In the wake of unprecedented Indian move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, the federal government decided on Thursday to halt the contentious canals project until a consensus is reached between the Center and the provinces on the issue through a mutual understanding from the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after a meeting between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP delegations at the Prime Minister House. The decision helped end the political infighting and uncertainty, which gripped the country for several days.

"Federal Government has decided that no new canals will be built without mutual understanding from CCI," an official statement following the meeting stated, "it has been decided GOP [Government of Pakistan] will not move further until consensus is reached among all provinces."

During the meeting between PM Shehbaz and the PPP chairman, the statement said, the federal government is engaging all provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for development of agriculture policy & water management infrastructure across Pakistan.

Both sides reiterated that water rights of all provinces are enshrined in the Water Apportionment Accord-1991 and Water Policy-2018; with the consensus of all stakeholders. To allay the concerns of all provinces and to ensure Pakistan's food and ecological security, both the parties decided to constitute a committee with representation from the federation and all provinces.

"The committee will propose solutions to Pakistan's long-term agriculture needs and water use of all provinces in line with the two consensus documents," the statement added.

It said that water is one of the most precious commodities and the makers of the Constitution recognised this, mandating all water disputes to be resolved amicably through consensus and concerns of any province shall be addressed through due diligence amongst all stakeholders.

PM Shehbaz and Bilawal decided that a meeting of the Council of Common Interests shall be convened on May 2, 2025, wherein, the PPP and the PML-N representatives shall endorse above mentioned federal government policy and any such proposals will be sent back to relevant agency in order to develop consensus.

The PPP also issued a statement after the meeting. In the statement, Bilawal said that after detailed discussions between the two delegations, an important decision was reached that no canal will be constructed without total consensus among the provinces. "The decisions from this meeting will be ratified in the Council of Common Interests meeting on May 2," Bilawal said, "where it will be confirmed that no canal will be constructed."

Bilawal added that three provinces had raised objections to the Kalabagh Dam, and now, a joint decision was made that "no canals will be built without mutual agreement." He also condemned India's statements regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, asserting that Pakistan will raise the Indus issue at the public level and give a strong response to India's decisions.

Bilawal thanked the premier for hearing out the PPP and the nation's reservations and complaints in the detailed engagement and taking important subsequent decisions. He said the prime minister had largely addressed the complaints of those protesting against the government's policy and expressed hope that the CCI meeting would endorse the decision of no new canal construction without mutual agreement.

"We are not taking any decision today, but only affirming that without a consensus, new canals will not be made. I am looking forward to the CCI meeting," Bilawal said while strongly condemning India's announcements, particularly regarding the IWT, and said they were not only illegal but "against humanity".

"We will stand together with you and raise Pakistan's case not only on the streets but on the international level and will give a befitting response to India's decision," the former foreign minister said.

The PPP chairman, who threatened to topple the federal government about a week ago, thanked the premier for their agreement and said he looked forward to continuing to work with him.