The federal government has deferred its controversial canal construction project under the Green Pakistan Initiative and summoned a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on May 2 to discuss the matter with all provinces, following sustained protests in Sindh.
According to a notification issued on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the 52nd CCI meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The session will bring together Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Minister Amir Muqam, and provincial chief ministers. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal will also be present, along with special invitees including the ministers for petroleum, water resources, and power.
The meeting comes a day after PM Shehbaz, flanked by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, told a press conference that “no new canal will be built without consensus at the CCI platform.”
The assurance followed weeks of protests in Sindh over the federal government’s plan to build six canals to irrigate Punjab’s Cholistan region—a move PPP leaders and civil society groups saw as a threat to Sindh’s water rights.
Bilawal, joined by Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and senior PPP leaders, stressed that canal construction must be based on inter-provincial consensus. The federal government, he said, would work with all provinces to create a unified long-term plan for agricultural and water infrastructure development.
In a separate press briefing on Friday, Shah declared the canal issue “resolved,” urging protestors to turn their demonstrations into celebrations. He said protests had disrupted the economy and acknowledged the federal government’s willingness to listen.
“We will oppose any project that goes against Sindh’s interests,” Shah said, but added that dialogue and engagement had begun to bridge divides.
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