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WorldPosted at: Apr 27 2025 8:04PM


Anti-canal protest in Sindh enters 10th day, Pakistan’s National Highway remains blocked

Karachi, Apr 27 (UNI) The ongoing anti-canal protests in Sindh continued to paralyse transportation, as Pakistan’s National Highway between Sindh and Punjab remained blocked, with demonstrators staging massive sit-ins and blockades around the area – marking the protest’s tenth day.
The demonstration has attracted a sizable number of people, with lawyers and civil society activists united in their opposition to the contentious canal projects, reports The News International.
Entering the tenth day, the protests have led to the suspension of all vehicular movement between the two provinces, and have severely impacted the transportation of essential goods, including petrol and food items, as trucks and trailers remain stranded.
This has also led to increased difficulties for commuters and transporters. Drivers of heavy containers stranded due to the protest have reported that their vehicle tires are deteriorating due to prolonged standing.
Despite the canal project being halted by the ruling PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz) until a mutual consensus is reached between all stakeholders, the protesters have not yielded an inch – vowing to continue the blockade until a total cancellation is confirmed.
In an earlier high-stakes-meeting between PM Shehbaz Sharif and PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) president and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the two parties had managed to make some headway, with the Pakistani premier announcing that unless a consensus was reached in the upcoming CCI (Council of Common Interests) meeting on May 2, the project would be scrapped.

Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had called for the anti-canals protesters to unblock the roads, and said causing social disruption in the name of protesting was not okay.

The controversial plan to divert six new canals from the Indus River first gained national attention earlier this year when Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched the Green Pakistan Initiative in Cholistan, sparking fears of water scarcity in Sindh.
In March, the Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution opposing the project, while nationalist parties, including the Grand Democratic Alliance, mobilised mass rallies in Karachi, Sukkur, Nawabshah, and Daharki, against it.
Critics warn that diverting water from the Indus could devastate Sindh’s economy, dry up fertile lands, and destroy the Indus Delta’s fragile ecosystem. With 72% of Sindh’s population relying on groundwater, the stakes are very high.
The Indus Delta has lost 92% of its freshwater, endangering mangroves and fisheries vital to Pakistan’s environment.
The Sindh protest against canals has united farmers, students, lawyers, and even political heavyweights like the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Since November 2024, rallies, sit-ins, and highway blockades have swept the province.
The protesters have emphasised that the people of Sindh had overwhelmingly rejected the six canal scheme, which they see as an attack on Sindh's riparian rights. Activists noted that water scarcity had forced residents of tail-end areas to buy water at exorbitant prices, putting human life and the survival of aquatic creatures at stake in Sindh's coastal areas.
The protesters, including lawyers, nationalist groups, civil society, and political leaders continue to hold sit-ins and strikes across multiple districts, demanding the project’s formal cancellation be intimated through a binding notification.
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Tags: #Anti-canal protest in Sindh enters 10th day# Pakistan’s National Highway remains blocked
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