BADIN: Qaumi Awami Tehreek’s chief Ayaz Latif Palijo on Monday accused Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party of being complicit with federal government in launching anti-Sindh projects.

“Green Pakistan” initiative was a coverup for grabbing Sindh’s water and lands for corporate use,“ and the six canals would destroy Sindh, he said at a protest march organised by his party and its sister organisation Sindhayani Tehreek from Allahwala Chowk to Awan-e-Sahafat.

Palijo said in his speech before the protesters that Sindh had been subjected to massive fraud and betrayal. The land and water had been stolen from people of Sindh through deceit, trickery, and false assurances, he said.

He said that people were told that canals would not be constructed, committees were formed, and ministers were sent to pacify public, only to disappear later. “The truth is, neither had the land been returned, nor had corporate farming been ended and the canals are still being built,” he said.

He said that Sindh was now being ruled by the worst kind of traitors — landlords, feudal lords, spiritual leaders—who had hidden themselves while common people were protesting in scorching heat to protect Sindh’s rivers, lands, and resources.

“We will turn every town and village into a fortress of resistance. I will not let Sindh fall asleep. It is my duty to keep the nation awake. This is a long struggle, but we will reclaim every stolen resource,” he said.

He emphasised that no tactics, diversions, or dramas would derail the movement. “Sindh is uniting, Sindh is rising, and shoulder-to-shoulder, we will defeat your corrupt decisions.”

He accused PPP and PML-N of conspiring to build canals to make Punjab green at the expense of Sindh.

QAT leaders Abdullah Chandio, Bachal Ahmadani, Shazia Ahmadani, Bakhtawar Jamali and Sanwal Gopang said that teh canals would lead to drought and seawater intrusion, contaminating groundwater and destroying coastal regions. “If the federal government does not back down, we will block all roads leading to Punjab,” they warned.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025