KARACHI: Speakers at a conference on Tuesday rejected the plan to construct six additional canals on the Indus River, calling the project illegal and harmful to the province’s resources, environment and people.
The conference titled ‘Protesting Construction of Canals on River Indus and Corporate Farming Land Occupation in Sindh’ was organised by the Sindh Suhai Organisation (SSO) at the Karachi Press Club.
The speakers argued that the controversial scheme would serve only the powerful corporate sector and political interests rather. They also called for a united resistance to force the authorities to take the decision back.
SSO chairperson Dr Ayesha Dharejo said the organisation was focused on women’s rights and the purpose of holding the conference was to bring women into the collective struggle against the “theft of Sindh’s water”.
Noted lawyer Shahab Usto said the current resistant movement against canals was the most comprehensive and inclusive.
Women urged to join struggle against ‘theft of Sindh’s water’; lawyer calls on activists to remain peaceful in their agitation
He added that the powers that be would try and make it weak but “we must not give them a reason” or resort to violence but rather remain peaceful.
Classical dancer and rights activist Sheema Kermani said the Indus civilisation had been a living phenomenon for thousands of years but now it was facing threat due to the proposed canals which would ultimately destroy the culture, identity and ecosystem of the region.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed Zain Shah of the Sindh United Party said the authorities had established their hegemony over water resources of Sindh.
He said that the six-canal project was unconstitutional and had been approved in an illegal manner.
He also said the canals as well as corporate farming projects were for the benefit and profit of foreign and civil corporate companies and not for the people of Pakistan.
Mr Shah also said that even before the six-canal project, the United Nations had said that Indus was among the rivers that would die in this century. If that’s already the case, how would the Indus survive with that canals’ project, he asked.
He said the PPP was part of the plan and working with the establishment and its protests against the project was only aimed at calming down and downplaying the rising resistance movements in Sindh.
“If the PPP leaders are sincere, they would make decision and not protest along with the people because they are in power,” they added.
He said the people first needed to defeat the PPP and force them to take that decision back. The people of Sindh needed to unite in their struggle against the controversial project because they could not win alone, he added.
Karachi Bar Association Vice president Kazim Hussain Mahesar said the ‘establishment’, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the PPP were constructing the canals for their own vested interests and not for the benefit of the common people. He added that the plan would never be accepted by Sindhis.
Writer Inam Sheikh said water was not just one issue of Sindh, there was rather a “whole agenda” to control and occupy the resources of the province. He also said that all the sections, which were protesting against the canals, needed to come together and be united.
Dr Niaz Kalani, a leader of one of the factions of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, said the Indus belonged to the people of Sindh while Punjab had always tried to occupy its water resources. “And when we, the people of Sindh, complain, we are termed Indian agents,” he added.
SSO general secretary Suhail Memon, Advocate Haseeb Panhwar, rights activist Mehnaz Rehman, Anita Ahuja of the Women Action Forum, Bakhshal Thalho of the Awami Workers Party, Ghulam Rasool Soho of the Sindh Bar Association, and Azhar Jamil of the Qaumi Mahaz-i-Azadi also spoke on the occasion.
Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2025