Lawyers to stage sit-in at Babarloi Bypass today against canals project

Lawyers announced on Wednesday that they would stage a sit-in at the Babarloi Bypass today against the planned construction of six new canals on the Indus River and corporate farming.

Speaking at a press conference at the City Courts, they said the lawyers' convention held on April 12 had unanimously rejected the canals project, corporate farming, the 26th Constitutional Amendment and Peca amendment. The convention had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to roll back these initiatives, which had expired, they added.

The lawyers announced that they would start a rally towards the Babarloi Bypass for a sit-in there on April 17 (today) and block the routes from Sindh to the rest of the country. The press conference was addressed by Karachi Bar Association President Amir Nawaz Warraich, Sindh High Court Bar Association General Secretary Mirza Sarfraz, Malir Bar Association General Secretary Ayaz Chandio, Hyderabad District Bar Association Ashar Khokhar, and others.

Members of the Sindh Bar Council, including Naeem Qureshi, Ashraf Samoo, Haider Imam Rizvi and Ehsan Ali Siyal, were also present on the occasion. Warraich said that lawyers would start their march towards the Babarloi Bypass from the new parking of the Sindh High Court at 11am, adding that their protest would continue until the notification regarding the six canals project was withdrawn.

"We are not interested in any kind of protest. We do not want to take that path, but we also do not want to allow you to do whatever you please," he said, adding that the six canals project would drain the Indus River, leaving millions unemployed and even causing water shortages in major cities like Karachi.

“We are talking about protecting the right of every person living here irrespective of their religion and language," he added. Warraich said all bar associations of the Sindh were unanimous on the point of agitation. “We want to tell the government that it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep things peaceful - to allow a peaceful march and a peaceful protest. Let this remain peaceful," he added. He said that their sit-in would continue round the clock, urging people from all strata to join their protest to make it successful.

In a press release, the KBA stated that anti-federal actions undertaken without Sindh's consent violated the 1991 Water Accord, undermined the Constitution, and threatened the Indus Delta's ecosystem as well as jeopardized the rights and livelihoods of the people of Sindh.

"With the 72-hour ultimatum issued during the convention now expired and no response received from the federal or Sindh governments, the legal community announces the commencement of a province-wide constitutional resistance movement," it said.

A standing committee comprising representatives of lawyers' bodies has been constituted to lead and coordinate actions with regard to the agitation. "The Karachi Bar, along with allied bar associations, stands firmly as a defender of constitutionalism, federalism, and the people's right to water, land and justice," the statement read. It said that these protests marked the launch of a broader, non-violent civil resistance campaign.