SUKKUR/MITHI/UMERKOT/HYDERABAD: Nationalist outfits and their allied groups continued their sustained protest against federal government’s ‘Sindh-hostile’ policies by staging rallies and demonstrations in several cities and towns in the province on Sunday.

Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) leader Ayaz Latif Pajilo led a rally from Ghanta Ghar Chowk to Library Chowk in Kandhkot against federal government’s plan to draw six new canals from the Indus River, corporate farming and increasing lawlessness in upper Sindh.

A large number of men and women participated in the rally.

Addressing them, Palijo termed the Cholistan canal project “an attack on Sindh”. He claimed that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had approved water releases for the canal “upon approval by President Asif Zardari”.

He said that the Indus downstream Kotri had already dried up and sandstorms were blowing along the river banks. He pointed out that sufficient water in the system was not available and even the 1991 Water Accord was not being implemented.

Palijo said that the Green Pakistan Initiative should have meant for every citizen, “but the policy of federal government is to ensure only Punjab green, which would ultimately leave Sindh barren.

He warned that without water, the people of Sindh would have to beg. Already, the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was training women on how to beg, he remarked.

He said that the PPP thought people of Sindh would be submissive and would remain silent on trading Sindh’s resources and lands, it must understand that Sindh would not give a single drop of its water to the federation.

Palijo deplored that the PPP had already handed over half of Sindh to katcha dacoits, and accused the party’s lawmakers and ministers patronising their gangs and tribal jirgas. He observed that millions of people in upper Sindh – Kandhkot-Kashmore, Ghotki, Jacobabad and Shikarpur -- were at the mercy of bandits. He also alleged that weapons were being supplied to the gangs through vehicles of ministers and police.

MITHI: A rally was organised by the Awami Tehreek (AT) Tharparkar district against corporate farming, six new canals and granite extraction from Karoonjhar Hills.

The rally started from the Kandi Stop on bypass road and ended at Kashmir Chowk, where a sit-in was held.

Led by Advocate Vasand Thari, the rally was attended by Noor Ahmed Katiar, Advocate Raheel Bhutto, Lal Jarwar, Abdul Qadir Ranto, Obhayo Junejo, Sindhyani Tehreek leader Afsheen Memon, Zahida Lashari, Advocate Dayal Sahrai, Advocate Dewat Rai, AB Charo and others.

They told the participants that Irsa had no authority to turn the entire Sindh barren. They said that by issuing a water availability certificate for the Cholistan project, Irsa had trampled over the country’s Constitution. By supporting corporate farming, the PPP had betrayed Sindhis, they said.

In Umerkot, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) leader Dr Qadir Magsi held a press conference to express his party’s serious concern over the ongoing exploitation of Sindh’s resources.

He criticised the government for continuously trying to grab Sindh’s lands and water, accusing the mainstream political parties of betraying their voters in the province.

Dr Magsi strongly condemned the six-canal project which he said would devastate Sindh. He also rejected allotment of Sindh’s lands to the corporate sector for farming under the ‘Green Pakistan Initiative, and described the move as a conspiracy to hand over the province’s resources to foreign investors.

Other STP leaders, Dr Soomar Mangrio, Mushtaq Qasmani and Shankar Bughio, were accompanying Dr Magsi at the press conference.

Workers protest in Hyderabad

Porhiyat Muzahimat Tehreek (PMT) organised a protest outside local press club on Sunday against corporate farming and federal government’s plan for the construction of six canals on the Indus River.

PMT president Masroor Shah, who led the protest along with other leaders of the Tehreek, said the Indus guaranteed preservation of Indus civilisation and construction of canals on the and its tributaries was tantamount to annihilate its existence.

He said that the protest was against the canals and corporate farming, which was aimed at handing over millions of acres of land to powerful private investors and multinational companies in the first phase. In order to irrigate these lands large scale robbery was being committed on the Indus water, he said.

He said that state would have to decide whether it preferred the country or the canals. If canals were built to irrigate 8 million acres then water would not be available in Indus even for drinking purposes, he said.

He said that the land that was being handed over to people from Gulf region and private companies was in fact owned by local population. People of Sindh were protesting against the canals for last six months but despite that Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was adamant to go ahead with the plan, he said.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2025