Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday convened a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address the controversy over the construction of new canals on the Indus River, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said.
The meeting, initially scheduled for May 2, was called upon the request of the Sindh government and is set to take place in Islamabad later today.
Chief ministers from all four provinces, along with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, are expected to attend.
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the suspension of new canal projects until a special committee, formed to review concerns, reaches a consensus. He stressed that no unilateral decisions would be made regarding canal construction without agreement among the provinces.
The 1991 Water Apportionment Accord governs water distribution from the Indus River among provinces, with the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) responsible for its implementation and dispute resolution.
Meanwhile, sit-in protests and shutter-down strikes continued across various cities in Sindh against the proposed construction of six new canals.
Earlier, Sharjeel Inam Memon, urged all political parties and the lawyers' community to reopen roads to ensure smooth transport of goods and prevent further economic losses.
He warned that the closure of highways is severely impacting the public, livestock movement, import-export activities, farmers, and the poor.
“The closure of highways has severely impacted the public, livestock, imports, exports, farmers, and the poor," Memon stated, urging that steps be taken immediately to restore traffic.
Memon praised the “tireless efforts and effective strategy” employed by Bilawal, which he said had successfully resolved the canal dispute. He emphasized that the issue has now been completely addressed.
"This issue will be permanently closed following the official CCI meeting," he said.
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