Lawyers, students, political parties, and civil society groups in Sindh continue to protest the canal project launched by the Punjab government. The heated debate in the Senate the other day also reflected deep cleavage between Punjab and Sindh over the water issue, despite PML(N)’s efforts to diffuse the crisis and engage PPP for an amicable resolution of the canal controversy. Bilawal’s threat to withdraw PPP’s support to PML (N) led federal government and the hard-hitting statement of the Sindh Chief Minister against the Punjab government may not deter Maryam Nawaz, Punjab’s Chief Minister, because of the avowed support of the Army Chief for the canal project. Unless the Army Chief withdraws his support for the Cholistan Canal project, PML (N) cannot end that project as demanded by the PPP and other political parties, including civil society groups.
Pakistan is perhaps the only country in the world where provinces are at loggerheads over the distribution of water. Sindh and Punjab since long been in distrust and disharmony, and their water issues are neither resolved by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) nor by the Council of Common Interests (CCI). Recently, Sindh has blamed Punjab for launching six canals over River Sutlej at the expense of water from the Indus River, and on April 15, Sindh irrigation department in a hard-hitting statement objected to the opening of Taunsa Panjnad (TP) link canal at a time when Sindh is facing 62% shortage of water. With the rise in climate temperature, one can also observe an escalation of PML(N) and PPP schism over water issues, despite allegations of opposition parties that these are just sugar-coated measures. Opposition leader in Senate Shibli Faraz made it clear during the debate over the canal controversy that it was President Asif Ali Zardari who approved that project last year, and PPP is pursuing an opportunistic approach to escape from its responsibility of endorsing the launching of the 6-canal project in Punjab.
Refuting the allegations of Sindh, Punjab is blaming Sindh for stealing its water, and factually giving a wrong description of the six canals and the TP-link project. It is not only Sindhi nationalists blaming the PPP government for compromising the water of the province, but other opposition parties like PTI and GDA also hold the Sindh government responsible for letting Punjab grab the water of Sindh and turning the province into a desert. Concerned authorities have warned that even drinking water may not be available in Sindh, and the Indus River has dried beyond the Kotri barrage. If Sindh’s Chief Minister has ruled out the construction of canals over the Sutlej in Cholistan, opposition parties accuse President Asif Ali Zardari of giving consent for that project. Opposition parties blame the PPP for playing a double game and letting the people of Sindh down by sugarcoated measures like debate in the Sindh Assembly and elsewhere. From any standpoint, the Taunsa project and the canal controversy have given an impetus to Sindhi nationalists, reflected in daily protests and demonstrations all over the province against what is alleged to be Punjab’s stealing of Sindh water.
It is very unfortunate that when Pakistan is grappling with water issues with its eastern neighbor India and western neighbor Afghanistan, Sindh, and Punjab are involved in serious water conflicts with each other
It is not for the first time that Sindh-Punjab water conflict has been in the limelight. As a lower riparian province, Sindh has legitimate grievances that it is not getting its fair share of water and the situation has become so alarming that even drinking water on river Indus beyond Kotri is not available.
Last February caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh wrote a letter to the caretaker Prime Minister drawing his attention to the construction of canals over the Sutlej River in the Cholistan region of Punjab. In his letter, caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh lamented that, “The Punjab government had presented a proposal for issuance of ‘Water Availability Certificate’ for extension of irrigated agriculture of Cholistan. The proposal involves the construction of a feeder channel with a designed capacity of 4,122 cfs (cubic feet per second), off-taking from Suleimanki Headwords to feed areas of districts of Bhawalnagar and Bahawalpur.” Concern was expressed that the ‘Water Availability Certificate’ proposal was made without seeking consent from Sindh. At least, IRSA should have deferred the issuance of the certificate till the completion of the general election and the assumption of new governments at the Centre and in provinces. When the issue of water share among provinces was settled under the 1991 IRSA accord, Sindh argued as to why “the maximum utilisation of Punjab during Kharif season was 37.7 MAF in 2007 against the allocation of 37.67 MAF which means that the existing canal capacity of the Punjab province was more than its Water Accord allocations.” That is why the nomination of a member of IRSA from Sindh has been delayed.
According to critics, the PPP government, which took charge of Sindh in March 2024, did nothing to stop the Punjab government from constructing such canals. The project was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Punjab and Chief of Army Staff on February 15, 2025, under the ‘green Pakistan initiative.” Called a game changer for Punjab “the Cholistan canals project aims to irrigate a total of 4.8 million acres (1.9 million hectares) of barren land by constructing six canals — two each in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab. Five of these canals will be built on the Indus River, while the sixth will be constructed along the Sutlej River, supplying approximately 4,120 cusecs of water to irrigate the Cholistan desert in Punjab.” Instead of finding a solution to the alarming water crisis in Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab are engaged in accusations and counter-accusations. It is very unfortunate that when Pakistan is grappling with water issues with its eastern neighbor India and western neighbor Afghanistan, Sindh, and Punjab are involved in serious water conflicts with each other. What sort of message is Pakistan sending to India, Afghanistan, and the rest of the world when it is unable to amicably resolve water issues domestically? Taking advantage of Pakistan’s water predicament, reflecting the provincial schism between Sindh and Punjab, India has given notice to Islamabad to review the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed in 1960.
The cost of the Sindh-Punjab water conflict will be at the expense of Pakistan’s national interest and solidarity
Intra-state water conflicts in Pakistan are a major destabilising factor that can cause large-scale schism between Sindh and Punjab. One can figure out three steps to effectively deal with provincial discord over water in Pakistan. First, the meeting of IRSA and CCI should be called immediately and resolve the Sindh-Punjab discord over the TP-link project and the canal project in Cholistan. Sindh complains that the IRSA, which was established in 1991, has failed to take care of its grievances. Its meetings are infrequent, which gives rise to mistrust and suspicions in Sindh. The CCI meeting has also not been called, which is a better forum to deal with inter-provincial issues. At a time when power is tilted in favor of Punjab, smaller provinces feel insecure. Truly, the water crisis in Pakistan is an outcome of climate change and global warming, but provinces can deal with that issue if the meetings of IRSA and CCI and held regularly and the participants focus on managing the water crisis judiciously instead of accusing each other.
Second, the Cholistan Canal issue and TP-link project can be termed as a major challenge to PPP because, according to Uzma Bokhari, Punjab’s minister for information and culture, President Asif Zardari, last year had approved the Cholistan Canal project. According to her, PPP is trying to hide its responsibility of protecting Sindh’s water interests by unnecessarily criticising Punjab for stealing its water. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Junior, in his hard-hitting speech on the occasion of Z. A. Bhutto’s death anniversary on April 4, made it clear that Sindh will not give up its water rights and criticised PPP for not preventing the Cholistan Canal project when it was launched. Now, when the river Indus in Sindh has almost dried up and the opposition parties are united against the Cholistan Canal project, the PPP is trying to mobilize popular support. From any standpoint, the PPP is a major loser in the entire canal and TP-link controversy and may mitigate its vote bank to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr. and other opposition parties.
Third, major power stakeholders in Pakistan must sit together and find a plausible solution to the water crisis, particularly in the province of Sindh. Taking and implementing decisions in accordance with the rights and interests of provinces by IRSA and CCI will go a long way in resolving intra-water conflicts. Furthermore, those who matter must also dispel the notion that it is Punjab that is controlling things, including the distribution of water. Measures to conserve water, reforest, and store rain and flood water will also help deal water crisis in Pakistan. At stake is the survival of Pakistan if the Sindh-Punjab water issues are not resolved amicably.
Even if PML (N) by using the good office of President Zardari is able to diffuse the canal controversy, schism, and polarization which reflected deep water conflict between Sindh and Punjab will not be removed. Again, IRSA and CCI must play a decisive role in dealing with intra-state water conflicts in Pakistan and such a situation is undermining national unity. The cost of the Sindh-Punjab water conflict will be at the expense of Pakistan’s national interest and solidarity.