Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has categorically stated that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will never allow the construction of controversial canals from the River Indus, and will not hesitate to leave the coalition government at the center if the project is not scrapped.
Addressing a function in Thatta, he said every person had the right to protest peacefully.
“As per international rules, the people living in low-lying areas along the river have more rights over its water,” he said, adding, “Therefore, the people of Sindh have more rights over the water of the River Indus.”
He further said that the Sindh government would oppose the canal issue if it was taken up at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting.
He lamented that a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CII) had not been convened on the issue so far.
“President Asif Ali Zardari has also opposed the construction of canals,” the chief minister said.
He said that the people of Sindh had always voted for the PPP. “And the party has also looked after them.”
He informed that work on the Sindh Coastal Highway was underway. “I had inaugurated Liaquat Medical University in Thatta. And today classes at the university have started.”
CM Murad went on to say no one built homes for the victims of Cyclone II-A, which had hit Badin and Sajawal. “The Sindh government had not only built homes for the affected people but also given ownership rights to them.”
He informed that the provincial government would announce a development scheme worth Rs5 billion for every district.
