ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Monday strongly condemned India’s unilateral and illegal actions following the April 22 Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and vowed to safeguard the country’s water interests in the event of any violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the Council of Common Interests at the Prime Minister House. The CCI is a constitutional body in the Government of Pakistan that formulates and regulates policies.
The four provincial chief ministers — Maryam Nawaz, Sarfraz Bugti, Murad Ali Shah, and Ali Amin Gandapur, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam attended the CCI meeting.
While representing the national aspirations, the CCI gave a message of unity and solidarity to the nation in the backdrop of the illegal Indian measures and in case of any kind of aggression by the hostile country.
The CCI stated that Pakistan is a peaceful and responsible country but fully knows how to defend itself in the face of enemy threats.
All the provincial chief ministers expressed unity and national solidarity in a unified voice against the illegal acts of India.
The CCI fully welcomed the resolution in the Senate against the illegal and irresponsible steps of India.
The Council emphasized that Pakistan has the right to protect its water interests in the event of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and the blocking of Pakistan’s water.
“Pakistan has the right to protect its water interests in view of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and stoppage of its water,” the council noted.
The Council of Common Interests took decisions regarding the new canals.
A press release issued after the meeting said: “The CCI endorses the policy of the federal government as given below: Federal government has decided that no new canals will be built without mutual understanding from CCI. It has been decided that the federal government will not move further until mutual understanding is evolved among the provinces.”
The federal government is engaging all provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for the development of agriculture policy & water management infrastructure across Pakistan.
Water rights of all provinces are enshrined in the Water Apportionment Accord-1991 and Water Policy-2018; with the consensus of all stakeholders.
To allay the concerns of all provinces and to ensure Pakistan’s food and ecological security, a committee is being formed with representation from the federation and all provinces, the CCI decided.
The committee will propose solutions to Pakistan’s long-term agriculture needs and water use of all provinces in line with the two consensus documents, according to the press release.
“Water is one of the most precious commodities and the makers of the Constitution recognized this, mandating all water disputes to be resolved amicably through mutual understanding and concerns of any province shall be addressed through due diligence amongst all stakeholders,” the press release stated.
In view of the above, after deliberations, the Council decided that the provisional ECNEC approval dated 7 February 2024 for the construction of new canals and the IRSA water availability certificate issued in its meeting dated 17 January 2024 be returned.
The CCI directed the Planning Division and IRSA to ensure consultation with all stakeholders, in the interest of national cohesion and to address any and all concerns until mutual understanding is reached.
