Federal govt asked not to politicise canals

Advisor to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, has called on the federal government to avoid politicizing the issue of irrigation canals and to give due consideration to the interests of smaller provinces.

He said that the Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal (CRBC) project, pertaining to K-P, should not be entangled with new canal schemes in discussions at the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The CRBC (Lift cum Gravity) project was approved in 1991 by the Council of Common Interests. Following the CCI's decision, canal projects were launched in three provinces, but implementation in K-P has remained pending. Despite this, K-P has assured 35 per cent funding for the project.

Saif strongly opposed any attempts to make the CRBC project controversial amidst emerging canal disputes. He criticized both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party, stating they have historically deprived K-P of its fair share.