NAWABSHAH / HYDERABAD: Awami Tehreek (AT) on Saturday staged a rally in Naushahro Feroze for the immediate resolution of Sindh’s pressing issues, including a drastic cut in the province’s share in the Indus water, rising inflation, worsening law and order situation, corporate farming plan, digging of six new canals and alleged usurpation of the province’s lands and islands by the federal authorities.

The rally participants also raised the issue of the alleged occupation of a piece of land used by the party to hold its programmes marking anniversaries of its founder leader, Rasool Bux Palijo.

The rally was led by AT Vice President Sattar Rind along with Advocate Khalid Tanio, Hussain Soomro, Sarmad Rajpar, Latif Bhatti, Dr Fida Bhariyo, Sattar Umrani, Fareed Kalhoro, Saddam Soomro, Ghulam Qadir Dahri, Salam Soomro and Sindhi Hari Tehreek activist Ali Nawaz Almani.

Addressing the participants, the leaders said that an “artificial” shortage had been created in Sindh, where millions of farmers were facing a serious threat to their livelihood. They claimed that Indus water was being unlawfully diverted to other regions through the Chashma-Jhelum (CJ) and Taunsa-Panjnad (TP) link canals thus depriving Sindh of its rightful share.

QAT also condemns move, fears Sindh may not get any water after operation of link canals

They stated that Punjab had consistently been violating the 1991 Water Accord and other inter-provincial agreements.

They warned that the people of Sindh would never accept the controversial New Jalalpur Canal and other schemes aimed at taking away Sindh’s water.

The AT leaders accused PPP of having bargained over Sindh’s interests in this regard.

They deplored that while the two controversial link canals had already been operating throughout the year unlawfully, water had now been released into the New Jalalpur Canal.

They demanded an immediate end to the water shortage in Sindh by closing all three canals. They also demanded an immediate halt to the construction of Bhasha Dam and other such facilities.

They expressed their serious concern over rising inflation, unemployment, insecurity and lawlessness in Sindh which, they said, made citizens’ life miserable.

Instead of providing relief to the public, the rulers were allocating lands to the corporate sector and foreign investors, undermining rights of peasants and farmers, they said.

They declared that land grabs in Sindh under the guise of corporate farming would not be accepted.

They demanded removal of encroachers of the piece of land adjacent to R.B. Palijo’s grave and legal action against its occupants.

QAT condemns Jalalpur Canal operation

Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) President Ayaz Latif Palijo has also condemned release of water into the Jalalpur Canal, saying that Punjab was robbing Sindh of its water through such canals.

In a statement issued in Hyderabad on Saturday, Mr Palijo accused the PPP of selling Sindh’s water and resources to buy powers and was now sitting silently.

He said that no new canal or dam on the Indus River was acceptable. He stated that Jalalpur Canal was a project to rob Sindh of its due share of water. The canal should be closed immediately, he stated.

He maintained that despite strong protests from Sindh, Punjab has released water into the Jalalpur Canal. Approximately 1,350 cusecs of water was currently being released into this canal from Rasul head works, he said.

He claimed that Jalalpur Canal was a completely illegal project because the canal has not yet been approved by CCI. He deplored that Punjab followed neither any Constitution nor a law, nor does it respect law. “Jalalpur Canal is a project of aggression and terrorism”, Ayaz Palijo remarked, and apprehended that after its operation, Sindh might not receive even the quantum it was getting currently.

He said the CJ and TP link canals could be opened during floods and only with Sindh’s permission. He said that at a time when there was a severe water shortage in Sindh, the federal and Punjab governments, as well as the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) were betraying Sindh through their highhandedness by opening these “robber canals” during shortage and stealing Indus water to render Sindh barren. He said the Jalalpur Canal should be shut down permanently.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026