LARKANA/SUKKUR/MITHI/BADIN: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) held a big rally in Larkana on Thursday against federal government’s six canal plan to counter its unending criticism of “clandestine support” for the project.

Almost all opposition mainstream parties and nationalist groups have been running a sustained campaign against these canals which, they believe, are bound to render Sindh’s lands barren.

PPP’s Friday show was led by Jamil Soomro, the political secretary to the party Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, along with its Larkana district general seretary Aijaz Leghari.

The rally set off from Begum Nusrat Bhutto Library and culminated outside the main gate of Jinnah Bagh.

The participants carried party flags and placards, inscribed with slogans against the project.

The other prominent PPP figures who joined the rally were Chief Minister’s Special Assistant Khair Mohammed Shaikh, Larkana Mayor Anwar Luhar, Women Wing President Naseeban Channa, Dr Sakina Gaad and chairmen of different town committees.

Speaking to the participants, Jamil Soomro rejected the canals project in categorical terms and regretted that opposition forces were unfairly targeting PPP in their anti-canals campaign.

He invited all stakeholders to join hands with PPP to wage a joint struggle against this project. He said the PPP leadership had not given a go-ahead to the project. Rather, he added, PPP had got a resolution against it passed in the Sindh Assembly.

Also in Larkana, writers, poets and other intellectuals, under the banner of the Anjuman Taraqqi-pasand Musannifeen, held a demonstration outside the local press club to register their resentment over execution of the canals project.

The men of letters were led by English language poet Jam Jamali, who heads Larkana chapter of the Anjuman. The participants included Abdul Haq Khoso, Prof Ali Raza Gaad, Manzoor Kalhoro and Comrade Zulfikar Brohi.

Meanwhile, office-bearers and other members of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) called on Khair Mohammed Shaikh and conveyed to him their opposition to the canals project. They told him that the business community would stop paying federal taxes if the project was not halted.

In Sukkur, Young medical students of the Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College took out a rally against the canals project on Thursday.

Dr Sajid Ali Shar and Dr Maqsood Sahito led the rally and spoke to the participants. They termed the project a deep-rooted conspiracy to turn Sindh’s lands barren.

They vowed to continue opposing all initiatives aimed at grabbing Sindh’s lands, water and other resources.

In Ghotki, civil society activists and people from different walks of life took out a rally and held a sit-in in the Loond Bazaar near Khanpur Mahar town against the canals project.

Mohammad Khan Shar, Comrade Dodo Mahar, Abdul Hussain Loond, Nazakat Ali, Saeed Loond, and Captain Loond led the pIn Mithi, a large number people held a sit-in at Wango Morr in Kaloi taluka against the new canals

They were led civil society activists Arbab Ehsan, Arbab Farooq, Arbab Imran, Arbab Khan Sahib Togachi, Arbab Zafarullah, Aziz Dero Ali Nawaz Nehrio.

They kept the nearby section of the highway blocked for about two-hours.

Activists of the Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Sindh United Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party and Thar Sajag Sath participated in the protest.

In Badin, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) women leader Nazish Fatima held a press conference in the local press club on Thursday to announced that a big protest rally by women would be held on March 23 against the project.

She said the rally would start from Shahnawaz Chowk and end outside the local press club. PTI women wing chairperson Surmi Sath, Marvi Abida, Paras Shah and Salma Tabassum accompanied Ms Fatima.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2025