HYDERABAD: Workers of Awami Tehreek organised a protest rally in Jhol, Sanghar district, on Saturday against corporate farming, construction of six canals on Indus River and “occupation” of Sindh’s mineral resources.

Advocate Vasand Thari, AT president, senior vice president Noor Ahmed Katiar and others, who led the protest, said that corporate farming was a conspiracy to erase the very existence of the nations who created Pakistan.

Mr Thari said that through the corporate farming projects, Sindh’s lands, mineral resources and historic sites were being sold and accused the ruling party of complicity in the sale of natural resources.

He accused Pakistan Peoples Party of trying to weaken the movement against canals through different conspiracies. Dictatorship had been established in Sindh in the name of democracy, he said.

He alleged that the establishment had committed electoral fraud and installed dummy rulers after sham elections.

He termed Bhasha Dam a dangerous project and warned that Sindh would be completely destroyed after the construction of six canals and Bhasha Dam. Allocation of funds for the dam in the budget was an act of hostility, he said.

Mr Katiar said that Indus was the only lifeline for Sindh and people of the province would never tolerate the dam projects either by India or Punjab’s rulers on Indus.

He stressed the need for a long, peaceful and democratic struggle for the ownership of Indus and Sindh’s lands and warned PPP rulers, establishment and their agents were conspiring to turn Sindh’s peaceful struggle into a violent one, hence people must remain vigilant against it.

President of the party’s Sanghar chapter, Ataullah Unnar, accused “Zardari League” of trading off Sindh’s rivers and lands to make Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari premier. Growers were unable to sow crops due to severe water shortage in Sanghar, he said.

Sindhyani Tehreek’s central leader Maryam Unnar also spoke at the gathering.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2025