Sujawal, April 11, 2025: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has strongly criticized the construction of canals on the Indus River, claiming the project is being falsely linked to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as part of a smear campaign.
Speaking to the media after inaugurating the lining of several hundred kilometers of water channels in Sujawal and Thatta, the chief minister said the canal construction initiative is part of the Punjab government’s “Green Initiative”, and not a project undertaken by PPP.
“We have always worked on the directives of our party chairman, and we will continue to do more,” Murad Ali Shah stated. “This narrative about canal construction on the Indus is a conspiracy to defame the PPP.”
He asserted that the people of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab all have equal ownership of the Indus River, and decisions regarding it must reflect collective consensus.
Refuting claims that President Asif Ali Zardari approved the canal construction, Shah clarified, “The President has no authority to approve such projects. His role is to present policy statements during joint parliamentary sessions.”
He further revealed that President Zardari, upon learning about the canal initiative, promptly voiced his disapproval and made it clear that he does not support the project.
Chief Minister Shah also highlighted that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had categorically rejected the canal construction plan in his address on December 27.
“This is not just a political issue, it is a matter of protecting Sindh’s rights and the sanctity of the Indus River,” he said, reaffirming PPP’s opposition to any unilateral development on the river without provincial consensus.
