Lawyers stage rally, demand govt shelve Indus canals project

Lawyers took out a rally against the federal government’s plan to carve six canals from the Indus River for corporate farming in the Cholistan region and demanded of the government to immediately withdraw its plan.

The rally was staged on the occasion of World Rivers Day, and a large number of lawyers from the Sindh High Court and City Courts participated in it. SHCBA President Sarfaraz Metlo said it is principally agreed upon all over the world that the rights of the delta are protected. He said Sindh was already facing a water shortage and the land of Sindh became barren as a result of violation of past agreements.

He said building more canals will further reduce the water of Sindh. The SHCBA president said all Pakistan lawyers are calling a convention on the issue of new canals on the Indus River and political parties will also be brought together on one platform. He said that we will decide on a common course of action with representatives of all provinces.

Former SHCBA secretary Haseeb Jamali said political parties were working on someone else's instructions and expressed fear that if new canals were built, there would be no water from Karachi to Sukkur.

He said political parties should at least be accountable to their voters, warning that the situation would get out of control and the people would take to the streets. He said lawyers would resist the construction of canals in every possible way. The lawyers’ leaders demanded immediate withdrawal of the canal and corporate farming projects.