Home Minister of Sindh Province (Pakistan)’s house burnt

Opposition from Sindh (Pakistan) to building of canals on the Indus River in Punjab Province (Pakistan)

Karachi (Pakistan) – Pakistan has begun building canals on the Indus River; after India suspended the Indus water treaty. All these canals will be built in Pakistan’s Punjab Province. This has caused violent demonstrations opposing this project in Pakistan’s Sindh Province. The Sindhi citizens accuse that this is discrimination. On the 20^th of May protests were held against the Indus canal project. During the protest Sindh’s Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar’s residence, in the Nowshero Feroze district, was torched. Before burning it the house was vandalised and the vehicles burned. Pakistan People’s Party and other political parties participated in the protest to the canal project. Pakistan Government says that ‘the 6 canals will divert the Indus water to the Cholistan desert.

The Cholistan Canal will bring 4 Lakh acres of land under irrigation’. The Sindhi citizens feel that this will cause scarcity of water in their Sindh Province. The project is a way of diverting their share of the water to Punjab. This has caused agitation in Pakistan’s Sindh province for many days now. Many highways in the Sindh Province are blocked and closed.