HYDERABAD: The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture has strongly rejected Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s statement regarding Punjab’s freedom to use it water share and construct the Cholistan canal, declaring the project a dead horse similar to the Kalabagh Dam.
In a press release issued from its central headquarters in Hyderabad, Patron-in-Chief and Central President Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Nadeem Qamar, said Maryam Nawaz was attempting to revive a futile project. We fully understand her motive, but the people and farmers of Sindh will never allow any canal or dam to be built on the Indus River, he asserted.
He highlighted that under Irsa’s allocation, Punjab already receives 55 million acre feet (maf) of water, while Sindh is entitled to 48maf, but in reality it receives only 41maf. Punjab is stealing 7maf of Sindh’s water, and accountability must be ensured, he said.
Criticising Punjab’s governance, Dr. Qamar said the province has been devastated by floods, displacing millions of people, while the government’s performance remains extremely poor. He alleged that the canal announcement was merely a distraction to divert public attention from the flood catastrophe. He further said Punjab should end illegal encroachments on the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers, dismantle unauthorized housing schemes along them, and use these rivers for rainwater storage.
He stressed that the Cholistan canal would not benefit ordinary Punjabi farmers but would instead divert water towards corporate farming. Punjab’s rulers are playing the Punjab card to hide their incompetence, causing harm to Pakistan, he warned, adding that Sindh’s people and growers had already rejected the project. We caution the Punjab government that Sindh will never allow the construction of the Cholistan canal or any dam, barrage, or canal on the Indus River, he concluded.
