Karachi, April 7, 2025: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued a stay order against a water availability certificate granted by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to the Punjab government for the construction of canals in Cholistan and Thal.
The certificate, issued on January 25, allowed Punjab to proceed with the Cholistan Canal project, which would draw 450,000 acre-feet of water from the Sutlej River at the Sulemanki Headworks. Sindh has strongly opposed the project, terming the allocation of water “unjust and unfair.”
The petitioner’s counsel challenged the legality of the certificate, arguing that IRSA’s formation was unconstitutional and that no representative from Sindh had been appointed to the authority—rendering its decisions invalid.
During Monday’s proceedings, the federal government requested additional time to file its response. The court granted the request and directed the government to submit a detailed reply by April 18.
The Cholistan Canal project, estimated to cost Rs211.4 billion, aims to irrigate 400,000 acres of arid land in southern Punjab. However, it has ignited political controversy and deepened interprovincial tensions. The project, part of a broader plan to construct six canals along the Indus River, has been vehemently opposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and various Sindhi nationalist groups.
Protests have erupted across Sindh, with political, religious, and civil society organizations staging widespread rallies against the initiative.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has repeatedly criticized the project, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to withdraw it. He warned that failure to heed Sindh’s concerns could force his party to reconsider its alliance with the federal government. Former President Asif Ali Zardari also cautioned that unilateral decisions by the Centre were putting the federation under severe strain.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah echoed these concerns, declaring that the federal plan would not materialize as long as the PPP remains in power.
