DADU: The Sindh United Party (SUP) on Tuesday organised two rallies in Sehwan and Jahi as part of its sustained campaign against federal government’s plan to draw six new canals from the Indus to irrigate millions of acres in Cholistan and other parts of Punjab.

The campaign titled ‘Save the Indus Movement’ has drummed up support from all Sindh-based anti-PPP political parties and nationalist groups, as well as the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

SUP activists riding a number of motorbikes, cars and other vehicles took part in the rally taken out in Sehwan. They were holding party flags and waving placards inscribed with slogans against the canals project, corporate farming, the Green Pakistan Initiative and other controversial federal plans. Many of the four-wheelers had banners with same slogans wrapped around them.

The SUP has also set up a camp outside the ‘golden gate’ of revered Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine. At the camp, SUP activists are running a signature campaign titled ‘Save the Indus River’.

Party has pitched camp outside Qalandar’s shrine to collect signatures on memorandum against controversial canals

A large number of Sehwan residents welcomed the rally participants upon their arrival in the city. They showered rose petals on the vehicles rolling down into the city and raised slogans against the federal plans.

Leading the rally, SUP President Syed Zain Shah and Vice President Roshan Ali Buriro took along the local people to the camp, where they and other SUP leaders spoke to them.

The leaders appreciated the enthusiasm and zeal shown by SUP activists and supporters at this advanced stage of the movement.

Zain Shah explained why the entire population of Sindh was opposing the PML-N-led coalition’s plans to divert Indus water to Punjab in violation of the relevant accord and treaty and execute certain other projects which were harmful to Sindh’s economic interests.

The SUP leader said that the six canals project was bound to render millions of acres of Sindh’s fertile lands barren. He claimed that PPP co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, in his capacity as the president of Pakistan, had given approval to this project. He accused PPP of having sold out Sindh’s water and mineral resources, as well as the coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan, in lieu of the president’s slot. Under the controversial ‘Green Pakistan Initiative’, corporate farming and ‘Special Investment Facilitation Council’, lands of Sindh, Balochistan and other parts of the country were being doled out to local and foreign investors without disclosing that how these lands would be developed, he deplored.

The SUP leader asked President Zardari to step down and also withdraw his party’s support to the federal government to prove his sincerity with the people of Sindh.

He said the controversial federal plans had posed serious challenges to Sindh, putting the province’s very existence at stake. The issues being created by these plans had become a matter of life and death for the people of Sindh, he said, adding that this had

prompted the SUP to take along other political parties, nationalist groups and public figures to intensify the movement.

Zain Shah also condemned the recently introduced Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) which, he said, was aimed at gagging the media and harassing journalists and all those seeking freedom of expression.

He strongly condemned registration of terrorism cases against those students who were protesting against the controversial canals in recent weeks.

He appealed to the masses to wage a united and vigorous struggle against these federal plans to ensure success of the movement.

Roshan Buriro, Nawaz Rind, Mohammad Khan Solangi, Mureed Brohi and others SUP leaders also addressed the gathering.

The participants of the other SUP rally marched through various roads in Bhan Syedabad before reaching Johi via Dadu-Johi link road.

Zain Shah also addressed participants of the Johi rally at the venue of a public meeting within the town and vowed to continue the movement until the canals project was buried.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025