Muhammad Ali Durrani accuses PPP & PML-N of deliberately inciting controversy over the national canals project for personal & political gain

ISLAMABAD, April 07 (SABAH): Former federal minister and senior politician Muhammad Ali Durrani on Monday accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of deliberately inciting controversy over the national canals project for personal and political gain.

“Without public endorsement and support canals initiative will prove another Kalabagh Dam,” said Muhammad Ali Durrani in a statement released on Monday. 

Muhammad Ali Durrani alleged that the ruling parties had fueled public distrust by failing to build consensus. “Any project of national importance requires transparency and public buy-in, but the federal and provincial governments chose silence over dialogue,” he said and added, “Without popular support, this project will meet the same fate as Kalabagh Dam.” 

The former minister linked ongoing protests in Sindh to the PPP and PML-N’s “double game,” accusing them of exploiting tensions to deflect blame onto state institutions.

“Their contradictory stances are designed to pit people of provinces against one another,” Muhammad Ali Durrani asserted, referencing PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s public opposition to the project and PML-N’s public endorsement of President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval. 

“From the events of May 9 to the dispute on canals, every national issue has been muddied by ruling elites prioritizing power over public interest,” he claimed.