SBC demands immediate withdrawal of Indus canals project

The Sindh Bar Council (SBC) on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army chief resolve the Thal canal and water distribution issue. The SBC also demanded that the notification of the construction of canals be withdrawn immediately.

Speaking at a press conference, SBC Executive Committee Chairman Saeed Abbasi and other members said that the legal fraternity, including the SBC and all the other bar associations, have held a sit-in against the six canals’ project.

They said the Indus River is the future of the people of the province and their source of livelihood, adding that right now the province does not have water in accordance with its share under the Water Accord.

They said the people of Karachi are compelled to buy water, and demanded that PM Sharif and the army chief resolve the water shortage issue. They also said lawyers have called for a peaceful protest, and their protest would continue until their demands are met. They asked the people of Sindh to support the legal fraternity on the canals issue.

Responding to a question, Abbasi said that the position of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is clear, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has asked the federal government to talk to them on the issue, and the party has the same position as the lawyers have on the canals issue.

The SBC also supported the decisions made during the All Pakistan Lawyers Convention at the Sukkur Babarloi Bypass against the extraction of six canals from Indus River. The bar also announced a boycott of court proceedings until the federal government accepts the demands of the legal fraternity regarding the immediate halt of the illegal extraction of six canals from the Indus River.

Public inconvenience

Political parties have the constitutional right to peacefully protest on the canal issue, said Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.

In a statement issued on Monday, he said whatever it is that a political party wants to orgaise -- protests, meetings or processions – it should inform the government and protest in open fields or places where the public does not face difficulties. He added that the protests and dissent are the soul of every democracy, but protests should not be such that they cause trouble for the public. The cattle and livestock that are being transported are also facing problems with their food due to the closure of roads. The public is currently facing various challenges.

Every organization and group is politely requested not to block the roads, Memon said and added that the protests should be held in such a way that the lives and property of the people are safe, and these ordinary citizens do not have to face any kind of difficulties. He said such measures should be avoided that would hinder patients going to the hospital, children going to school or people going out for work.

PPP to not budge

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani has stated that the leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz should not be under any false impression that the Pakistan Peoples Party would, under any circumstances, agree to the proposal of constructing additional canals on the Indus River during the upcoming discussions between the two parties regarding the contentious issue of new irrigation projects to cultivate farmlands in Cholistan, as the PPP's agreement on this matter is simply out of the question.