The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh has announced that it would launch the third phase of its protest movement by holding divisional-level public rallies across Sindh if, what it describes as, continued injustices over Sindh’s water rights are not halted.
On Friday, a protest rally titled “Marsoon Marsoon, Sindh Na Desoon” (We Will Die, But Will Not Surrender the Indus) was held in Karachi under the leadership of PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro against the theft of water from the Indus River . The rally passed through various areas of Lyari before culminating in a public gathering at Musa Lane, Lyari Gate.
The protest was attended by PPP leaders and workers, including Yousuf Baloch, Javed Nagori, Rauf Nagori and Khalil Hot, as well as a large number of male and female party activists. Participants carried placards and chanted slogans condemining the usurpation of Sindh’s water share.
Addressing the rally, Mr Khuhro warned that if injustices against Sindh’s share of Indus River water continued, the PPP would expand its protest campaign and hold divisional-level rallies throughout the province as part of the movement’s third phase.
He said protests were held at 130 locations across Sindh on Friday against what he described as the looting of the Indus River’s water. “Water is life, and without water, life cannot survive. We will not allow anyone to take away our lives,” said Khuhro.
He stated that the Indus River flows through Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan, and said that the river is facing threats from multiple fronts. He claimed that India is attempting “water terrorism” by unilaterally suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and conspiring to block the flow of Indus water.
At the same time, he alleged that Sindh was being deprived of its constitutional share of water due to non-implementation of the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord. According to Khuhro, water allocated to Sindh was being diverted to the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal, Taunsa-Panjnad Link Canal and Jalalpur Canal in violation of constitutional and legal provisions.
He said that the TP and CJ link canals were originally intended to operate only during flood conditions, but water was being continuously released into them in an attempt to render Sindh barren. “Sindh is already suffering from deprivation. The injustices against Sindh must stop,” he said.
Khuhro criticized the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) and the federal government, saying they had failed to ensure transparent water distribution among the provinces in accordance with the 1991 Water Accord. He added that water shortages had severely affected agricultural crops in Sindh, causing significant economic losses.
He further pointed out that the Jalalpur Canal project remained pending before the Council of Common Interests (CCI), making its continued operation unconstitutional. He warned that if discrimination against Sindh over water issues continued, the scope of the protest movement would be widened to every division of the province.