PML-N and PPP agreed to resolve canal issue through dialogue

The Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are agreed to resolve the controversial construction of six new canals issue through dialogue, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-N) leader, Rana Sanaullah, had a telephonic conversation with Senior Minister of Sindh Sharjeel Memon. 

Both leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and agreed to meet and resolve the canal issue through dialogue.

Rana Sanaullah said that they are ready for talks with Sindh on the canal issue. He said the prime minister and Mian Nawaz Sharif have directed the removal of Sindh's reservations. 

Sharjeel Memon said that the Sindh government has presented its position on the canal issue at every forum. He said PPP and the people of Sindh have serious reservations about the disputed canals. 

The Sindh minister said the PPP wants a fair distribution of water under the 1991 agreement. The PPP is also ready for talks with the federal government on the canal issue, he added.

Meanwhile, sit-in protests and shutter-down strikes were continued in different cities of the Sindh on the third day against the six controversial canals issue on Sunday. 

Today, a complete shutdown strike continued in Larkana city on the call of the Nationalist Party against the plan to build new canals on the Indus River.

All business centres, including Shahi Bazaar, Pakistan Chowk, and Resham Gali, closed due to the strike. Strikes in small and big cities, including Ratodero, Baqrani, Dokri, and Bada, continued.

Further, the shutter-down strike also continued in Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, and other cities. Citizens demanded that canals’ decision should be withdrawn as soon as possible, and if canals’ decision is not withdrawn as soon as possible, a shutdown will be done across Sindh.

Moreover, the protest on the Babrloi bypass in Khairpur against six canals enters its third day, and the protest continued. Long queues of vehicles are formed due to the protest, and thousands of vehicles have been stranded due to the protest.

A large number of people participated in the protest. On the other hand, the Indus River Save Movement's sit-in against a new canal project on M-9 Motorway in Hyderabad was called off after four and a half hours, and traffic on both sides was restored.

Workers of GDA, PTI, SUP, Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Functional League, and other parties participated in the sit-in. Moreover, the 3-day sit-in against the extraction of 6 controversial canals from the Indus River in Kashmore has ended.

The lawyers' community has announced it will end the sit-in and set up a sit-in on the Shikarpur Indus Highway. After the lawyers' announcement to end the sit-in, the road was opened for traffic.

The lawyers' community's sit-in against the canal from the Indus River was led by Sindh Bar Council member Advocate Abdul Ghani Bijarani. Due to the 3-day sit-in, traffic to and from Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan was completely stopped.

Reporters: Khursheed Rehman, Abdul Khaliq Mughairi, Mir Zaffarullah, Waqar Mangi, Muhammad Hassan, and Zubair Ahmad