PPP announces protests against controversial canal project in Pakistan's Punjab

Islamabad, Mar 22 (PTI) A key ally of Pakistan's coalition government is planning a protest next week against the government over a controversial canal project.
     There is a proposal to construct six canals in the Punjab province to irrigate land in the Cholistan region under the Green Pakistan Initiative – a project that has the support of the powerful army, the government and the provincial administration.
     However, various parties and groups in the Sindh province in the south of the country have been protesting against the project with the plea that the canals would reduce the downstream water flow and adversely affect irrigation in Sindh.
     The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), with its power base in Sindh and a supporter of the federal government, has announced plans to launch a protest, fearing a loss of support to rival local parties already opposing the project.
     The party announced on Friday that protest rallies would be taken out against the project from all district headquarters across Sindh on March 25.
     The Dawn newspaper reported that the announcement was made by PPP-Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, along with Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Waqar Mehdi, at a press conference held on the premises of the Sindh Assembly.
     Khuhro appealed to the people of the province to come together and join the struggle against the canals, adding that a single and united voice of Sindh would make an impact against the project, according to the newspaper.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)