KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, stated that Senator Irfan Siddiqui’s remarks about the PPP are condemnable. He said that Senator Irfan Siddiqui is either ignorant or uninformed and should read the Constitution. If Irfan Siddiqui has not read the Constitution, then he is unfit to hold a seat in the Senate and should refrain from mocking the public’s mandate.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Sharjeel Memon responded to recent remarks made by Senator Irfan Siddiqui. He said that Senator Siddiqui claimed in an interview that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had never opposed the construction of canals, and then made a reference to the President.
In response, Memon clarified that the PPP has consistently opposed such projects, citing that in 2021, the party passed a resolution against the Rathal Canal; in 2022, it passed another against the Greater Thal Canal Phase II and the Jalalpur Canal. Following these resolutions, the Sindh government raised its concerns in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), including in July 2022 when it opposed the Cholistan Canal.
He emphasized that the Chief Minister of Sindh has written multiple letters to the federal government on this matter. “If Senator Irfan Siddiqui does not remember, we can send him copies of those letters,” he remarked. “We have unanimously passed resolutions in the Sindh Assembly. If such resolutions are not considered an official form of protest, then perhaps he should consider stepping down.”
Criticizing Siddiqui’s understanding of the Constitution, Memon said, “You are sitting in the Upper House—don’t you know the constitutional role of the President?” He added that a few members of the PML-N often make uninformed statements, seemingly unaware of constitutional provisions.
He further noted that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had clearly communicated the party’s opposition to the canal project to the Prime Minister on the highest platforms. Additionally, the President, during his address to the joint session of Parliament, affirmed that no such project would be supported.
“The PPP has maintained a clear and unequivocal stance on the issue of water—this is not a secret,” Memon said. Condemning Senator Irfan Siddiqui’s statement, he urged the PML-N leadership to educate its members on the PPP’s position and discourage them from making such misleading remarks.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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