Hyderabad [Pakistan], November 18 : Widespread rallies were held across Sindh on Sunday in opposition to the controversial plan to dig six canals to irrigate lands in Punjab.
The protests saw participation from almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups, and civil society organisations. Although the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chose to stay out of the street protests, it firmly rejected the canal project in no uncertain terms.
According to Dawn, the largest rallies took place in Hyderabad and Larkana. During their impassioned speeches, protest leaders strongly condemned the canal project, demanding that it be scrapped, as they argued it posed a grave threat to Sindh's very existence.
Ayaz Latif Palijo, president of the Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT), warned that the construction of these canals would result in Sindh losing its vital water flows, further devastating its already struggling agricultural sector. "The rulers have destroyed the agriculture sector of Sindh and if these six canals are dug, then Sindh would lose its water flows" Dawn quoted Latif Palijo as saying.
Latif emphasised that any attempt to seize Sindh's water, lands, islands, or minerals would not be tolerated. Other key figures who spoke at the rally included Lal Shah of the Awami Jamhoori Party, Maulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon of JUI-F, Rafiq Magsi of PML-Functional, and Tahir Majeed of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
The protesters, chanting slogans against the canal project, vowed to resist it and any changes to the Irsa Act, which governs water distribution in Pakistan. The leaders accused the government of trying to systematically deplete Sindh's water resources and ruin its agricultural sector through calculated measures.
As per reports, the leaders also sharply criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for what they described as "double-faced" policies, particularly pointing to former President Asif Ali Zardari's approval of the canal project on July 8, while other PPP leaders in Sindh continued to oppose it. They urged Sindh's citizens to rise up against "anti-people projects" that would "ruin" the province's agricultural economy.
The protestors warned that the canal project would have disastrous consequences for vital crops such as wheat, sugarcane, rice, cotton, and bananas. They also expressed concern about its severe impact on the ecosystem of the Indus River. They claimed that the groundwork for four of the six canals was already underway, describing the project as "economic murder" for farmers.
As reported by Dawn, similar rallies were also held in other cities and towns across Sindh, including Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Naushahro Feroze, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro. The protests reflect widespread opposition to the canal project, with people from various segments of society voicing their concerns about its potential impact on Sindh's agricultural and environmental future.
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