Pakistan: Protesters hold ground over canal row, reject official promises

Karachi [Pakistan], April 26 (ANI): Demonstrators in Sindh have rejected government assurances and refused to end their ongoing sit-in against the proposed canal projects on the Indus River, maintaining their blockade despite the federal government's announcement to suspend the initiative until further discussions, Dawn reported.
The prolonged protest has caused serious disruption to Pakistan's supply chain, with thousands of goods transporters unable to proceed. Transport Goods Association (TGA) President Tariq Gujjar stated on Friday that between 10,000 and 15,000 trawlers, containers, trucks, and oil tankers remained stranded across the Sukkur-Larkana division and near Bahawalpur due to road closures.
He added that the movement of goods, particularly from Sukkur to Larkana and then to Bahawalpur, remained effectively paralysed, according to reports from drivers on the ground.
Gujjar noted that the stranded vehicles are carrying sacrificial animals, export and import consignments, fruits, vegetables, coal, medicines, and other vital supplies. He said the protesting lawyers leading the demonstrations were awaiting the issuance of an official notification on May 2 before calling off their strike. Until then, the blockade was expected to continue, posing a risk to critical logistics.
The federal government announced on Thursday that the controversial canal project would remain on hold until a consensus is reached during the upcoming Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, scheduled for May 2.
To mediate, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met with Advocate Aamir Warraich, representing the protesting lawyers, on Friday night. However, as of press time, no statement had been issued confirming whether the strike would be ended, reported Dawn.
Before these developments, the Transport Goods Association warned during a press conference at the Karachi Press Club that if safe passage were not provided to stranded vehicles by noon on April 25, they would escalate their protest by parking their cars directly in the middle of roads and launching a strike of their own.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah appealed to the demonstrators to reopen highways and allow the free movement of goods. He emphasised the need for unity, saying, "Peaceful protests are acceptable, but public disruptions are not," and warned that internal division could benefit adversaries such as India.
The economic impact of the blockade is already significant. Jawed Bilwani, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimated that Pakistan had suffered cumulative losses exceeding PKR 500 billion (USD 1.8 billion) in export orders and domestic production over the past 10 to 12 days, factoring in a separate four-day truckers' strike linked to new fitness certificate regulations.
Bilwani noted that sacrificial animals had died during transit delays, textile exporters were missing critical deadlines, and essential raw materials remained stuck en route, further damaging Pakistan's standing with international buyers.
In addition to the protesting lawyers, several political groups have rejected the government's verbal assurances. Rashid Mehmood Soomro, the general secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Sindh, insisted that the demonstrations would not end without a formal written cancellation of the canal project. Awami Tehreek's central president, Advocate Vasand Thari, accused the PPP of prioritising Punjab's interests over Sindh's by referring the matter to the CCI, as per reports by Dawn.
Former Grand Democratic Alliance lawmaker Moazzim Abbasi similarly dismissed the federal government's announcement as a mere "lollipop," vowing that protests would continue until formal notification was issued. (ANI)