Pakistan: Rallies held across Sindh in protest against canal constructions on Indus River

Sindh, March 15 (IANS) Protests erupted in the Sindh province of Pakistan against the construction of canals on the River Indus, with echoing demands to “let the water flow.”

A seminar titled ‘Indus River: The lifeline of Sindh under Threat’ by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the youth organisation was conducted on Friday at the press club in Karachi. It coincided with ‘International Action Day for Rivers.’

Speakers at the seminar highlighted the growing ecological and socio-economic challenges posed by the degradation of the Indus River, local media reported.

At the same time, a large number of fisherwomen and men, along with political and human rights activists, participated in the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum’s rally against the Cholistan project and other canals on the Indus River.

The demand of the rally was ‘No Canals, No Dams, and No Cuts’ on the Indus River.

Protests and rallies taken out across the province saw an unusually wider participation of the people, who called for an end to the project of building six more canals on the river, reports the leading Pakistani newspaper, The Express Tribune.

Earlier this week, rejecting Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s speech in a joint session of parliament on the construction of six new canals, the Save Indus River Movement (SIRM) announced province-wide protests against what it called “unconstitutional projects.”

Criticising President Zardari for allegedly approving the canal projects, the SIRM leaders at a press conference demanded that the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) quit the federal government.

SIRM Convener Syed Zain Shah warned that Sindh’s agriculture would be destroyed, cities would face a severe water crisis, the ecosystem would collapse due to the drying up of the Indus River, and underground water resources would deplete benefiting only corporate interests.

He rejected President Zardari’s statement on the canal projects and demanded that instead of making vague statements, the President should revoke the notification approving the new canals.

Syed Zain Shah stated that the Pakistani government’s highly unjust decisions had put the existence of the state at risk, making justice almost impossible to attain, leading daily Dawn reported.

In February, with vocal expressions of disapproval being reiterated time and again against building six new canals on the Indus River, the nationalist parties of Sindh organised protests and blocked highways in different parts of the province.

Pakistan has witnessed a series of protests in recent days, with citizens raising their voices against what they describe as “anti-people policies” and “violation” of Sindh’s rights.

–IANS

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