NAWABSHAH: Activists of different political parties and growers’ organisations took out a procession under the banner of Anti-Canal Action Committee, an alliance against six canals project on Indus River, and held a demonstration outside local press club on Wednesday to protest against government plans to go ahead with the controversial project.

The procession led by Sindh United Party’s president Syed Zain Shah, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, grower leaders Anwar Mehmood Shah, Abdul Sattar Dahiri, Gul Hasan Rind and Zulfiqar Dharejo started from Court Road and culminated outside the press club after passing through different roads.

Zain Shah said that Sindh had joined the federation to strengthen Pakistan with hopes that people of Sindh would have equal share in all resources but instead their share in water was reduced and still they were told a lie that one million hectare water was going waste into the sea.

He said that at the time of construction of Bhasha Dam, people of Sindh were told a lie that their share in water would not be affected. In reality, millions of acres of agricultural land in Sindh had come under sea whereas undersoil water had become unfit for agri-purposes, he said.

He said that continuous shortage of water was rendering large tracts of farmland barren and impoverishing growers.

He asked the federal government to stop construction of six canals on Indus River and ensure Sindh received its just share in water. The project for the construction of six canals on Indus was an open enmity towards the province and hence they opposed it, he said.

He said that Indus was a matter of life and death for millions of Sindhis as thousands of acres of agricultural land would get barren if any canal was constructed on the river.

Other leaders said the canals project would be an injustice with the prosperity of the province. “We are owners of Indus River and are not living on alms,” they said.

They said the ruling party had cut a deal on water just to save their rule. The federal government’s decisions were making them feel unsafe, they said, adding whenever they raised voice against robbery on Sindh’s resources, they were tagged as disloyal to the country.

They vowed to safeguard Sindh’s rights at all costs.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2024