Pakistan: JSMM declares political resistance against Punjab's water diversion, plans economic blockade

Sindh [Pakistan] February 3 (ANI): In a bold move against what it calls "Punjabi imperialism," the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) has announced a complete blockade of Punjab's supply routes in Moro on February 25.
Shafi Burfat presided over a pivotal meeting of the party's central body where the decision was taken. The JSMM underlined its determination to oppose what it considers to be the organised exploitation of Sindh's natural resources and sense of national identity.
The forced rerouting of the Indus River's waters through the canals of Punjab has been denounced by JSMM leaders as a direct attack on Sindh's existence. The party claimed that by taking Sindhis' lands and stealing their mineral resources, the Punjabi elite was making them a minority.
Additionally, it condemned Sindh's feudal class, especially those connected to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), for allegedly supporting this exploitation while holding political sway.
"This struggle is not just about stopping the illegal construction of six canals but about reclaiming Sindh's rightful 75 per cent share of the Indus waters, as per the Sindh-Punjab Agreement of 1945," JSMM declared in a statement. To uphold this agreement and secure Sindh's equitable share of water, the party is requesting international guarantees.
As part of its mobilization strategy, JSMM will launch a public awareness campaign titled "Let Us Unite to Save Sindh, Protect Our Homeland and National Identity."
Throughout Sindh, political activists, students, journalists, attorneys, and laborers will all be involved in this campaign, which will encourage people to actively participate in the resistance.
To intensify its protest, JSMM declared that on February 25, it would shut down all traffic heading into Punjab, thus cutting off its supply lines.
The party has cautioned security forces and state agencies against meddling, claiming that any effort to quell the movement will lead to more disturbances and massive strikes.
Key figures within JSMM have been assigned specific responsibilities to strengthen the movement. The party's Senior Vice Chairman will coordinate with other political parties in Sindh, while Vice Chairman Sajjad Shar and General Secretary Shahnawaz Bhutto will engage with the Sindhi diaspora. Meanwhile, intellectuals Hujjat Abbasi and Hussain Sindhi will reach out to Sindh's academic and literary circles.
JSMM has made it apparent that its struggle is not merely political but also for Sindh's existence, water rights, and freedom from what it refers to as colonial oppression. (ANI)