HYDERABAD: Leaders of Rawadari march have reiterated their demand for the arrest of culprits involved in the murder of Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar in a staged encounter and torching of his body on Sept 19, and vowed to oppose construction of six canals being built over Indus River.

The march started from Old Campus roundabout and ended at local press club. Women peasants, home-based workers, labourers, activists of Pakistan Peoples Party-Shaheed Bhutto, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), National Trade Union Federation (NUTF), Sindhiani Tehreek, transgender persons and activists of Women Action Forum (WAF) participated in the protest.

Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro, Aliya Bukshhal, Amar Sindhu, Punhal Sario, Asad Butt, Nasir Mansoor, Dr Bukshshal Thallu, Comrade Zahra Khan, Dr Badar Channa and Arfana, who led the protest, strongly opposed construction of six canals over Indus River.

Ms Ghangro opposed Green Pakistan Initiative and said that a conspiracy was being hatched to deprive Sindh of the river. “We stand for ‘rawadari’ in Sindh even at the cost of our lives,” she said, adding that Punjab had always committed robbery over Indus waters.

She said that Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar was brutally murdered in a staged encounter and his body was torched but his murderers were still at large. She demanded arrests of ‘fanatics and extremists’ involved in this case.

The PPP-SB chief organiser Raheem Bux said that his party would remain in the forefront of the struggle for saving Indus. Sindh was located at tail-end of Indus basin and hence it had first right to use the river water, he said.

He rejected construction of six canals over Indus said that Sindh’s Kachho area also needed water for cultivation of land.

Women Democratic Front leader Aliya Bukshal said that Sindh was a land of mystics and it never accepted extremism or terrorism. Not a single canal over Indus would be accepted, she said.

HRCP chairperson Asad Butt said that lands were being handed over to foreign entities, which would use land and water of Sindh but shift its food resources to other countries and Sindh would not get anything.

They wanted to render Indus barren only to build canals. Agenda for corporate farming was detrimental to Sindh’s interests, he said.

Nasir Mansoor said that rulers of Sindh and federation had jointly usurped resources of Sindh and this rally was manifestation of resistance against their injustices. People of Sindh had reacted against One Unit as it was an attack on identity of Sindh. A dictator had also announced building Kalabagh dam but he had to backtrack over Sindh’s reaction, he said.

He said that the construction of canals was in fact a war for saving civilisation and national identity, which would be jointly fought by people of Sindh. People would have to draw a line for those waderas and rulers, who tended to serve as pawns of state, he said.

Punhal Sario said that the police officer allegedly involved in the murder of Shahnawaz Kunbhar had not yet obtained bail in the case like other accused. He demanded their arrest and condemned sealing of the city by police which was aimed at scaring away people from the march.

Dr Niaz Kalani of JSQM-B demanded arrest of Dr Shahnawaz’s murderers and said that all the seminaries found involved in spreading extremism in Sindh should be closed down.

He said that delay in the arrest of culprits showed that PPP government was siding with them. Prime minister could not take any decisions regarding Indus, he said.

Amar Sindhu paid tribute to people for standing up for saving identity of Sindh and said these people reacted against Dr Kunbhar’s murder by gathering in Umerkot and kissing hands of Premo Kohli who gave proper burial to Shahnawaz.

She said that Umerkot incident was tantamount to depriving Sindh of its identity. This was a struggle for the existence of Sindh because it was directly linked with Indus, she said.

Ayesha Dharejo said that the construction of canals would not be allowed over Indus. She said that rulers would have to withdraw this decision. Justice in Dr Shahnawaz’s extrajudicial killing had not been ensured yet, she said.

Home-Based Workers Union leader Comrade Zahra Khan said that people of Sindh would fight this war to save civilisation and resources of Sindh. Home-based as well as factory workers would remain part of this struggle, she said.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2024