Amidst ongoing criticism over the federal government’s planned construction of new canals on the Indus River, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) have staged multiple protests calling for the shelving of the project.
In a joint protest in front of the Karachi Press Club, the GDA and PTI slammed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which is in power in Sindh, accusing it of trying to deflect the issue through misinformation and lies. The parties called on the residents of Karachi to protest the new canals, alleging that the city faces a severe water crisis if the project proceeds as planned.
PTI Sindh leader Haleem Adil Sheikh explicitly called out President Asif Ali Zardari, accusing him of agreeing to the canals against the public interest. He demanded the president step down over the criticism against the canals. A leader of the nationalist Sindh United Party also accused President Zardari of “selling off” the Indus River to secure the next premiership for his son.
Separately, the JUIF staged rallies in various towns of Sindh, including sit-ins at the Sukkur Barrage, Larkana-Khairpur Bridge and Kotri Barrage to protest the controversial canals project. The opposition party demanded the PPP “prove” its opposition to the project by parting ways with the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) at the center.
Accusing the PPP of “fooling” the people with empty platitudes against the project, they alleged that the canals would divert water away from Sindh to ensure water for the canals. The party warned that if the canals project were not shelved, it would block the Sindh-Punjab border and bar any trade from occurring between the provinces.
Maulana Rashid Mahmood Soomro claimed the canals project was weakening the provinces and the country, hampering the development of a strong federation.