Protests Continue in Sindh Over Canal Project Despite PM’s Assurances

Despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s guarantee that no new canals would be built without consensus, demonstrations persist throughout Sindh against the federal government’s contentious six-canal initiative on the Indus River.

Legal professionals, nationalist factions, civic organizations, and political figures are maintaining sit-ins and strikes across various districts, insisting on the project’s official termination through a definitive declaration.

Ongoing Demonstrations

In Khairpur, the lawyers’ sit-in at Babarlu Bypass on the National Highway marked its eighth day on Friday, with participation from bar associations across Sindh.

Khairpur Bar leaders repeated their call for an official notification to cancel the project, warning that demonstrations would continue until this occurs.

Karachi experienced considerable disruption as the Sindh Bar Council’s province-wide strike proceeded, with courtroom lockouts at the city court entering their fourth day.

Hundreds of hearings were postponed, and individuals awaiting trial were not brought to court, causing hardship for those involved in litigation. Nevertheless, operations at the Sindh High Court remained unaffected.

The Karachi Bar Association cautioned that the demonstration would continue until the directive for canal construction is rescinded.

Furthermore, lawyers organized a demonstration on MA Jinnah Road, which disrupted traffic before concluding later.

In Ghotki, major roadways and border crossings between Sindh and Punjab stayed entirely closed, with two substantial sit-ins persisting on the National Highway at Daharki and Kamo Shaheed, now in their sixth and third days, respectively.

The movement of goods across the provincial boundary has been essentially stopped for almost a week, leaving numerous vehicles stranded. A Sindh Bar Council member stated, “All routes from Punjab to Sindh are blocked. We do not aim to trouble the local population.”

The sit-in by nationalist groups at Gahi Mahesar Chowk on the Indus Highway in Mehar has ended, with traffic flow between Karachi and Larkana returning to normal.

However, a simultaneous protest organized by the Muttahida Dehaat Ittehad in Dadu saw participation from lawyers, civil society representatives, and farmers, including officials from the Bar Association.

In Hyderabad, the Hyderabad Union of Journalists held a protest camp outside the Press Club, attracting speakers from Sindh’s political, social, literary, agricultural, and business sectors.

Those participating denounced Indian water aggression and called for the termination of both the canal and corporate farming projects. They insisted that the termination notification must be jointly endorsed by the President and Prime Minister.

Speakers included notable figures such as Maula Bux Chandio (PPP), Advisor Abdul Jabbar Khan, journalist Jami Chandio, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Sahibzada Zubair (Milli Yakjehti Council), and businessman Adeel Siddiqui, among others.

They asserted that water scarcity impacts everyone who relies on the Indus River.

Background and Recent Developments

The ongoing protests follow a meeting between PM Shehbaz and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad on Thursday, after weeks of rising discontent across Sindh.

During a joint press briefing, the Prime Minister declared that canal construction would only proceed with consensus in the Council of Common Interests (CCI). He affirmed that the next CCI meeting on May 2 would formally approve the agreement reached with the PPP.

This breakthrough followed growing discord between the PPP and PML-N, with the PPP alleging that the federal government was undermining Sindh’s water rights through independent canal development.

Bilawal, accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, thanked the Prime Minister for acknowledging the PPP’s concerns and reaffirmed that projects would only proceed with provincial agreement.

CM Shah hailed the agreement as a “major triumph”, stating that the PPP had consistently argued the project contradicted Sindh’s interests. He welcomed the upcoming CCI meeting and voiced confidence that the project would be formally abandoned.

The controversial proposal to divert six new canals from the Indus River initially garnered national attention earlier this year when Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz introduced the Green Pakistan Initiative in Cholistan, triggering concerns about water scarcity in Sindh.

In March, the Sindh Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the project, while nationalist parties, including the Grand Democratic Alliance, organized extensive rallies in Karachi, Sukkur, Nawabshah, and Daharki.

Despite indications from the federal government that it may reverse the canal plan, protesters throughout Sindh remain unconvinced, maintaining that only a formal cancellation notice signed by both the prime minister and president will put an end to the movement.