Protests in Sindh against the Pakistan government's canal project on the River Indus have intensified, entering their 11th consecutive day and causing significant disruption across the province.

The controversial project, known as the Cholistan Canal Project, aims to construct six new canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert in Punjab, with an estimated cost of PKR 211.4 billion. 

Proponents argue the project would bring 400,000 acres of barren land under cultivation and enhance food security, but it has been met with fierce resistance from Sindh’s political, civil, and legal communities.

The opposition is rooted in concerns that diverting Indus water to Punjab will exacerbate water shortages in Sindh, a province already facing acute scarcity and heavily reliant on the river for agriculture and livelihoods. Critics also argue the project violates the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord, which governs inter-provincial water sharing, and warn of severe ecological consequences, including reduced freshwater flow to the Indus Delta and threats to biodiversity.

Widespread sit-ins and rallies have paralyzed major highways and trade routes, stranding thousands of trucks and halting goods transport between Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan. Key protest sites include the Khairpur Baberlo bypass, where the sit-in has lasted 11 days, and Mangrio Pump near Daharki, ongoing for nine days. Additional blockades at Kamo Shaheed in Obaro and Gola Mor in Kandhkot have created long vehicle queues and brought inter-provincial traffic to a standstill.

The legal fraternity has played a prominent role, staging sit-ins at multiple locations, including Karachi’s City Court, where gates remain shut to litigants. Lawyers have declared that protests will continue until the government formally withdraws the canal project notification. Judicial proceedings at the Sindh High Court, however, remain unaffected.

Tensions escalated after police attempted to disperse protesters with baton charges and tear gas in several towns, prompting further condemnation and solidarity rallies by lawyers, political parties, and civil society organizations across Sindh, including in Hyderabad, Thatta, Dadu, Matiari, Hala, and Nawabshah.

The Cholistan Canals issue has become a major political flashpoint between the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the federal government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The PPP, a key coalition partner in the federal government, has rejected the project, and its leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has demanded its cancellation. In response to mounting pressure, the federal government has agreed to pause the project until a consensus is reached in the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which is scheduled to meet on May 2 to address the dispute.

Despite the government's assurances, protests have continued unabated, with demonstrators insisting on a formal withdrawal of the project before ending their sit-ins. Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Memon has called for dialogue and urged protesters to reopen blocked roads, expressing hope that the upcoming CCI meeting will bring a permanent resolution to the issue.

ANI