CHARSADDA: The Charsadda Chamber of Commerce has expressed grave concern over the ongoing road blockades caused by protests in Sindh surrounding the dispute over the proposed canals from the Indus River.
According to the chamber, the blockades have stranded nearly 800 trucks carrying essential food supplies, as well as thousands of people, including patients, children,the elderly, men, and women, creating a dire humanitarian situation.
Addressing a press conference at the Charsadda Press Club, Senior Vice President Nauman Akbar Jan, General Secretary Abdullah Naeem, and Executive Member Saddam Hussain said that traders are facing losses worth millions of rupees, while the stranded individuals are enduring severe hardships. They stressed that patients urgently need medicines, and others are in desperate need of food and water. If timely aid is not provided and the roads are not reopened, a human tragedy could unfold.
The chamber’s office-bearers lamented that the people and traders of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are suffering the most in the dispute between Sindh and Punjab over the canal project.
They said perishable goods like fruits and vegetables are rotting in the trucks due to the prolonged closures, leading to fears of significant economic losses for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s traders.
The speakers said the situation has become critical near Sukkur, with patients in dire condition and no access to medicines, while families, including women, children, and the elderly, are left without necessities. They criticized the Sindh government for neither opening the roads nor providing any relief to those stranded.
The chamber’s representatives demanded immediate action to deliver medicines to patients and deploy emergency services like Rescue 1122. They called for food and water supplies to be distributed and the roads to be reopened to prevent further damage to the business community.
The chamber’s office-bearers warned that the blockade has already led to a shortage of fruits and other food items in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and raised concerns about an impending fuel shortage.They urged the federal government to intervene and resolve the inter-provincial dispute promptly to avert escalation.