n March 10, President Asif Ali Zardari cautioned the government against unilateral decisions to build more canals drawing water from the Indus River System.

“[It is] a proposal that I, as your president, cannot support. I urge the government to abandon the current proposal and work together with all stakeholders to come up with viable, sustainable solutions based on a consensus among the federating units,” he said while addressing a joint session of the parliament.

Various representatives of Sindhi nationalist and leftist parties, civil society members, lawyers, students, teachers, artists, laborers and farmers are opposing the canal projects associated with the Green Pakistan Initiative that aims to bring millions of acres of previously barren land in southern Punjab under cultivation. They are arguing that the region is already water-scarce and not receiving its fair share of river water under the 1991 Water Accord. They say Sindh cannot endure further water use upstream as that would cause severe water shortages in large parts of the province, making it increasingly difficult for both people and wildlife.

They blame the federal government the initiative. The critics say that the projects should have been discussed in the Council of Common Interests. The popular perception is that the project will not bring much prosperity in southern Punjab either; and primarily serve certain vested interests.

Sindh’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture. Fresh water availability is already a significant challenge. The opposition to Kalabagh Dam project too had started in Sindh. Later, however, provincial assemblies of the then NWFP and Balochistan too passed resolutions rejecting the project. For the past year, political activists in Sindh have been opposing the new irrigation initiatives. Some of them have accused the authorities, including the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government of ignoring them.

Since the announcement of the canals project, several groups such as the Sindhiyani Tehreek (Movement of Sindhi Women) and Awami Tehreek have organised protest demonstrations. They have been joined by the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party; Sindh United Party; Qaumi Awami Tehreek; various factions of Jeay Sindh movement; Awami Workers Party, along with its student wing, the Progressive Students Federation; and the Porhyat Mazahmat Tehreek, among others. Little attention was paid to the matter until students from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, took to the streets and police violence followed.

Historically, the students have demonstrated a strong sense of political awareness and activism. A significant student movement was initiated on March 4, 1967, by students of Sindh University, Jamshoro, after the Hyderabad commissioner removed the university’s vice chancellor over corruption charges. The students rallied in support of the VC and demanded his reinstatement. Police were called to stop their march from Jamshoro to Hyderabad. Following allegations of severe beatings, the movement for the vice-chancellor’s restoration soon evolved into an anti-One Unit movement.

Following the police action against students protesting against the canals project, lawyers in Hyderabad have launched a movement.

A few days ago, several lawyers in Hyderabad initiated legal action against SSP Farrukh Ali Lanjar, alleging misbehavior towards a lawyer. Hundreds of lawyers also gathered for a sit-in in Hyderabad, demanding Lanjar’s transfer. The officer was transferred but soon restored, to the chagrin of the lawyers. Once again, they called for his transfer. Authorities may not have anticipated such a strong reaction from the legal community, but the lawyers were determined to pursue the issue.

This also highlighted the police action against the students and the lawyers announced a march from Hyderabad to Karachi on Friday, March 7. The SSP was transferred a day prior. The lawyers then decided to make their opposition to the federal government’s decision to build the new canals and the 26th Constitutional Amendment the main focus of their agitation.

The students and lawyers have brought renewed energy to the movement, galvanising protests by peasants, labourers and some artists. School and college students too are now joining the movement, making the issue a national concern for the people of Sindh. President Zardari has since warned the PML-N-led federal government against pursuing unilateral policies, particularly the decision to initiate the construction of new canals in the Indus River system.

On March 13, the Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against the canals project. This was a direct outcome of the collective resistance from the people of Sindh. Although scepticism about the PPP’s motives persists, it is clear that silence on the issue is no longer viable. Activists for Sindh have continued their protest, demonstrating in Sindh, across the country and various parts of the world on the International Day of Action for Rivers (March 14).

The writer is an assistant professor and chairman of the Department of History and Pakistan Studies at Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur. He can be reached at qasim_shu2016@yahoo.com