Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an important meeting today (Thursday) to review the canal issue in light of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) decision, the private media channel reported.
The prime minister will chair the meeting, which will focus on consultations over the canal matter. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar are expected to attend, along with officials from the Ministry of Water Resources.
Sources said the federal ministers for planning and economic affairs, as well as the attorney general, have also been invited to the meeting.
The development comes amid strong reservations expressed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) over the construction of new canals. Last year, the CCI, under the prime minister’s chairmanship, halted canal construction and decided that no new canal would be built without consensus among the provinces.
At the time, the federal government agreed not to move forward on any canal project until all provinces reached mutual agreement through the CCI.
The six proposed canals include the Thar, Rainee, and Cholistan canals, along with the Greater Thar Canal, Kachhi Canal, and Chashma Right Bank Canal. Authorities have described these projects as vital for boosting food security and supporting agricultural development, and the president has been briefed on the proposal for their simultaneous construction.
Also Read, PM Shehbaz Sharif vows to eradicate polio from Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to completely eliminate polio under the continued support of global partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
While addressing a meeting with an elite delegation of the Gates Foundation, the PM reiterated the country’s perseverance in the fight against the deadly virus.
President for Global Development, Chris Elias, led the meeting which was held in the federal capital, Islamabad. Director Polio Dr Kathy Neuzil and Deputy Director Polio Michael Galway were also part of the delegation.
