HYDERABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday spearheaded massive protests across Sindh against the construction of new canals from the Indus River, a move protesters say threatens the province’s water rights and agricultural survival.
From Larkana to Thatta, thousands of party workers, farmers, civil society activists, and political leaders took to the streets, waving banners and chanting slogans against what they called an “anti-Sindh” project. The demonstrations, held in multiple cities including Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Kandhkot, Umerkot, and Khairpur, echoed a unified demand: halt the controversial canal construction immediately.
In Larkana, a massive rally led by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s political secretary, Jameel Ahmed Soomro, saw men and women march from Zulfiqar Bagh to Jinnah Bagh Chowk. Participants accused the federal government of attempting to turn Sindh barren while diverting resources to other regions.
In Jacobabad, PPP Secretary Information Ali Arman Khoso led a march to the Press Club, where protesters warned of severe consequences if the project proceeded. They claimed that constructing six new canals from the Indus River would devastate Sindh’s already fragile water supply, crippling its agriculture and livelihoods.
The protests weren’t limited to PPP alone. In Tando Mohammad Khan, an alliance of nationalist, political, and civil rights groups, including Sindh United Party (SUP), Sindh Abadgar Ittehad (SAI), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), and Awami Tehreek (AT), staged a sit-in on a major highway. Leaders at the rally declared the project a “death sentence” for Sindh, warning that millions of acres of fertile land would be destroyed if the canals were built.
Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz (JSM-R) organized a five-kilometer march in Thatta, condemning what they called the federal government’s “theft” of Sindh’s rightful share of Indus water.
Leaders pointed to the existing water shortages in coastal areas like Sujawal and Badin, where sea intrusion has already swallowed vast stretches of farmland. “If these canals are constructed, Sindh will become a desert, forcing millions into starvation and displacement,” they warned.
Similar outrage was seen in Kandhkot, where MNA Mir Shabbir Ali Khan Bajrani reminded protesters that former President Asif Ali Zardari had categorically opposed any such canal projects. Addressing a gathering in Khairpur, PPP leader Dr. Nafeesa Shah reinforced this stance, stating that the Sindh government would not compromise on the province’s water rights.
Adding to the growing wave of resistance, former senator Rahila Magsi in Tando Allahyar warned that if the government refused to listen, Sindh’s people would block highways and roads leading to Islamabad.
Meanwhile, in Khipro, activists from Sindhyani Tehreek and Awami Tehreek alleged that the new canal project had quietly expanded from six to nine canals, raising suspicions that corporate farming interests were behind the initiative.
The protests, spanning multiple cities and uniting political rivals, signaled a brewing storm over water rights in Sindh. Protesters vowed to escalate demonstrations until the government scraps the canal project, warning of intensified resistance if their demands are ignored.
