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WorldPosted at: Apr 30 2025 1:56PM


Lawyers protesting Sindh six-canals project end sit-in, traffic resumes on National Highway

Karachi, Apr 30 (UNI) In much-needed relief, Pakistan has opened its National Highway at the Babarloi Bypass in Khairpur after 12 days allowing for long-stranded trucks to pass through, after lawyers protesting the six-canals project in Sindh ended their sit-in, following successful negotiations with the government.
Addressing a press conference at the bypass, Ka­­rachi Bar Association Pre­sident Amir Nawaz
Wara­ich and Sindh High Court Bar Association President Sarfraz Ali Metlo said the decision to end the sit-in was made after receiving assurances from the federal government and the issuance of an official notification addressing their concerns, reports Dawn.
The protests, led by the All Sindh Lawyers Action Committee, had seen hundreds of lawyers and activists staging sit-ins across various cities, demanding a halt of the proposed project.
The six canals project proposed by Pakistan’s federal government had become a subject of massive controversy, as critics argued that the province’s already scarce water supply would be further depleted by the project.
They argued that Islamabad had not taken into account, the concerns of any stakeholders and arbitrarily decided on launching the project.
The protests began ever since the federal government announced plans to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project that has been rejected by its main ally Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP), and other Sindh nationalist parties.
The estimated cost of the Cholistan canal and system is Rs211.4 billion. The Pakistan government maintains that through the project, thousands of acres of barren land can be used for agricultural purposes and 400,000 acres of land can be brought under cultivation.
Critics added that the project would cause strong environmental degradation, and soil erosion in Sindh, potentially destroying all farming in the region. The issue had caused massive divide between Islamabad and Sindh, with even political groups allied to the government threatening to break away their alliance.
The lawyers’ committee announced an end to their protest after confirming that the government’s notification had addressed all concerns raised by the legal community. However, they emphasised that discussions on the canal issue would continue. They also noted that the government had pledged to provide the required documents by May 7.
These documents will detail all matters related to the legal and professional rig­hts of lawyers. Following this as­­surance, the lawyers’ committee expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
The lawyers reiterated their commitment to def­ending national interests and pledged that the legal community would maintain an active role in monitoring the government’s implementation of its pro­mises.
Meanwhile, the process of dismantling protest camps began, and two-way traffic was restored on the National Highway.
Earlier, the Sindh government delegation held talks with the lawyers’ co­­mmittee at the High Court Bar Association office in Sukkur. The delegation was led by Law Minister Zia Lanjar and included District Council Chairman Kumail Haidar Shah, Suk­kur Commissio­ner Fayyaz Abbasi and Deputy Com­missioner M.B. Dharejo.
The lawyers were represented by Amir Nawaz Waraich, Sarfraz Ali Metlo, Qurban Ali Malano and others.

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Tags: #Lawyers protesting Sindh six-canals project end sit-in# traffic resumes on National Highway
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