Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) today, as requested by the Sindh government, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said.
The meeting, initially scheduled for May 2, has been brought forward following the Sindh government’s request.
In a statement, Memon confirmed that the meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz, is set to take place this evening in Islamabad.
He further revealed that the key issue of canal projects will be discussed, and a decision is expected to be made today regarding the matter.
The dispute centers around the federal government’s plan to construct six canals from the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert. This ambitious project, estimated to cost Rs211.4 billion, aims to transform thousands of acres of barren land into productive agricultural areas.
However, the initiative has been met with strong opposition from the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as well as various nationalist groups in the province.
The proposed project has become a flashpoint in the ongoing political tensions between the PPP-led Sindh government and the federal government, headed by Shehbaz Sharif.
The PPP has firmly rejected the initiative, claiming that it will divert water resources away from Sindh, exacerbating the province’s already dire water crisis. In contrast, the federal government insists that the canal project will boost agricultural productivity, with 400,000 acres of land expected to come under cultivation.