KARACHI: A big rally organised by the Sindh Taraqi-pasand Party (STP) on Sunday gave a call for a strike on Dec 18 against the federal government’s plan to build additional canals on the Indus River.

STP chief Dr Qadir Magsi made the announcement while addressing a rally at Ghaghar Phatak on Sunday.

A large number of STP workers and supporters, including women and children, took out a procession from Ghaghar Phatak to the Karachi Press Club, where STP chairman Dr Magsi made the announcement about the strike.

He said that the government had planned to construct canals on the Indus River which would “exacerbated water scarcity” in the province.

In his speech, he alleged that the Sindh government had attempted to stop the rally.

Magsi asks PPP to make efforts to stop federal govt from implementing controversial plan

“The land of Sindh is like our mother, and we will protect it at all costs,” he said.

He stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had planned to construct six canals on the Indus River, a move, he claimed, which would worsen water scarcity in the province, including in areas such as Keti Bandar, Badin, and Thatta.

“Humans cannot survive without water. How can 60 million people survive without it?” he stated.

“We will take bullets in our chest to protect the Indus water,” he said and asked the Pakistan Peoples Party to clarify its position on the crucial issue.

The STP chairman urged the PPP to make effo­rts to stop the federal government from implementing this project.

He said that if the PPP cannot take action, the people of Sindh would defend their right to water themselves.

“If there is no water, conflicts will erupt everywhere,” he said.

Dr Ma­g­si urged the people of Karachi and Sindh to struggle for the protection of their water. “Our protest will continue until the government announces the cancellation of this project,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2024