The sit-in at Khairpur Baberlo bypass against the controversial canal project entered its 11th day on Monday, resulting in the continued suspension of traffic between Sindh and Punjab. Simultaneously, the protest at Mangrio Pump near Daharki on the National Highway has persisted into its 9th consecutive day.
Sit-ins are also being staged at Kamo Shaheed in Obaro and Gola Mor in Kandhkot, causing severe disruption to traffic flow between Sindh and Balochistan, with long queues of vehicles reported on key routes.
The Cholistan Canals issue has become a central point of contention between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government.
The federal government intends to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project that has been rejected by its main coalition partner, the PPP, as well as other Sindh nationalist parties.
According to government sources, the estimated cost for the Cholistan canal and its system is Rs211.4 billion. The project aims to utilize thousands of acres of barren land for agricultural purposes, bringing 400,000 acres under cultivation.
Almost all political and religious parties, nationalist groups, and civil society organizations have staged widespread rallies across Sindh in opposition to the controversial plan.
Although a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has been scheduled for May 2 following the federal government’s decision to postpone the controversial project due to strong opposition from the Bilawal Bhutto-led party — a key coalition ally of PM Shehbaz — protests by lawyers, other political parties, and various segments of society continue to grip the province.
The ongoing demonstrations also include protests at two locations in Ghotki, where lawyers’ sit-in on the National Highway at the province’s border with Punjab has entered its sixth day.
Meanwhile, a sit-in by lawyers and other demonstrators continues on Gulshan-e-Hadid Link Road in Karachi, where both carriageways leading to and from the National Highway have been closed to traffic, according to traffic police.
Traffic heading towards Thatta from Karachi is being diverted towards the Port Qasim roundabout.
In Karachi’s City Court, lawyers are maintaining their protest against the canal project, keeping the gates closed to litigants for another day. Entry into the court premises remains restricted exclusively to lawyers.
The protesting lawyers have declared that the sit-in will continue until the official notification regarding the construction of the canals is withdrawn. However, judicial proceedings at the Sindh High Court are proceeding as per schedule.
Protests have also intensified across other cities, including Hyderabad, Thatta, Dadu, Matiari, Hala, and Nawabshah, following incidents of baton charges and tear gas shelling by police against demonstrators in Malir, Kandhkot, and Padidan. In response, lawyers and political parties have organized demonstrations across these regions to condemn the police action.
Adding to the tensions, the Lawyers Action Committee has announced the suspension of Sindh’s Law Minister Zia Lanjar’s membership from the Sindh Bar Council.
Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Memon, addressing the ongoing crisis, assured that the issue of the disputed canals would be permanently resolved at the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting scheduled for May 2.
He appealed to all political parties and the legal fraternity to end their sit-ins and reopen the blocked roads.
