KARACHI: Rejecting President Asif Ali Zardari’s speech in a joint session of parliament on the construction of six new canals, the Save Indus River Movement (SIRM) on Tuesday announced province-wide protests on March 14 against what it called ‘unconstitutional projects’.

Criticising President Zardari for allegedly approving the canals project, the SIRM leaders at a press conference demanded that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) quit the federal government.

Addressing the joint presser, SIRM Convener Syed Zain Shah, Dr Safdar Abbasi, Sardar Abdul Rahim, Nasrullah Channa, Masroor Sial and Khadim Talpur called for the cancellation of the unconstitutional projects.

They urged the rulers to act sensibly, halt the new canal projects and save the state, warning that if the province’s rights were taken away, a movement even stronger than the MRD (Movement for the Restoration of Democracy) would begin. They also cautioned that ‘unjust and unfair’ decisions by the government could lead to violent reaction in Sindh.

Leaders slam President Zardari for ‘approving unconstitutional project’

Syed Zain Shah stated that the government’s highly unjust decisions had put the existence of the state at risk, making justice almost impossible to attain.

He also criticised the Peca law for suppressing free journalism, and claimed that a dangerous game was being played in the name of the ‘Green Pakistan Initiative’. “The CCI (Council of Common Interests) is being sidelined and illegal canals are being built in Punjab, including the Greater Thal Canal, Jalalpur Canal and Cholistan Canal, which will irrigate millions of acres in Punjab while leaving 3.5 million acres in Sindh barren,” he said.

He warned that Sindh’s agriculture would be destroyed, cities would face a severe water crisis, the ecosystem would collapse due to the drying up of the Indus River, and underground water resources would deplete — benefiting only corporate interests. He rejected President Zardari’s statement on the canals project and demanded that instead of making vague statements, the president should revoke the notification approving the new canals.

He claimed that it was President Zardari who had approved these canals on July 8. “If he does not cancel the project, it would mean he is equally responsible for this crime,” he said.

The SIRM convener said the movement would continue until the cancellation of the new canals project, adding that and a province-wide protest would take place on March 14. He invited students, lawyers, farmers and all segments of society to join it.

He warned that if Sindh’s people were denied their rights, an indefinite protest would begin as the people of Sindh were now fully aware of their rights.

Zain Shah alleged that the PPP had sold Sindh’s water rights in the previous elections and said that a movement even bigger than the MRD was emerging in Sindh against the new canals.

In reply to a question, he clarified that it was not a PML-N initiative, but a PPP project, with President Zardari being the main conspirator, followed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and their associates Murad Ali Shah and Maryam Nawaz.

He demanded that Zardari issue a notification canceling the project, warning that his statements and resolutions were merely deceptive tactics.

Dr Safdar Abbasi stated that SIRM was formed after President Zardari’s approval of the six new canals.

He said that apart from nationalist parties, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and various other political parties had also joined the movement.

He dismissed President Zardari’s recent claim that he had not approved the canals, calling it hypocrisy. He accused the government of deliberately harming Sindh while misleading the public with deceptive statements.

Sardar Abdul Rahim emphasised that they were fighting for the rights of Sindh’s people without using foul language or threats. He claimed that their campaign had gained such momentum that the authorities were being forced to acknowledge their demands.

Sardar Rahim pledged that once the new canal project was cancelled, they would launch a similar movement against the tanker and dumper mafias in Karachi with the same intensity.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025