Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on May 2, a day after announcing the suspension of the controversial canal project on the Indus River. The session aims to address the ongoing debate and reach a consensus regarding the project.
According to reports, the 52nd CCI meeting will take place at the Prime Minister’s Office and will include high-level participation from both provincial and federal representatives.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Amir Muqam have been invited to attend. The chief ministers of all four provinces will also participate in the meeting, alongside key federal ministers including Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Science and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal.
Special invitations have also been extended to the ministers for petroleum, water resources, and the Power Division, with the chief secretaries of all provinces invited to join as well.
Prime Minister Sharif had previously addressed the issue alongside Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, asserting that no new canal projects would move forward without a consensus from all provincial governments within the CCI framework. On Thursday, he reiterated that no water-related initiatives would proceed unless there was agreement among the provinces.
The federal government remains committed to working collaboratively with the provinces to establish a consensus-driven long-term agricultural and water policy.
Prime Minister Sharif emphasized that the 1991 Water Accord and the 2018 Water Policy, both of which have received approval from all provinces, would be crucial in managing the country’s water rights moving forward.
