Pakistan is currently engulfed in myriad challenges, spanning from instability in Balochistan to turmoil in its Sindh province. Locals in Sindh are actively opposing the contentious six-canal project. On Tuesday, demonstrators opposing the project stormed the residence of Sindh's Home Minister Zia ul-Hassan Lanjar, located in the Naushahro Feroze district, and set it ablaze.
Protesters vandalized property and set household items on fire.
Targeting the minister's residence located near Morro city adjacent to the National Highway, protesters also set fire to two trailers parked nearby. During clashes with the police, two demonstrators lost their lives, while a dozen, including a DSP and six other officers, were injured.
The Cholistani Canal is a significant dispute between the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)-led Sindh government and the central Shahbaz Sharif administration. The Shahbaz Sharif government planned to construct six canals on the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan Desert. However, the PPP and other political parties in Sindh are rallying against this project.
According to government sources, the estimated cost of the Cholistan Canal System is 211.4 billion PKR, aimed to transform thousands of acres of barren land into cultivable fields. The project envisaged farming on 400,000 acres of land.
Despite its potential benefits, the project faces fierce opposition in Sindh from political parties, religious groups, activists, and lawyers. Throughout Sindh, rallies and demonstrations have been organized against the project. Last month, in view of the widespread dissent, the Common Interests Council (CCI) rejected the project.
Following the CCI meeting, a statement from Pakistan's PMO declared, 'No new canals will be constructed without mutual understanding and consensus among all provinces... Until broad agreement is reached, the center will not progress with any plan.'
Despite the CCI's decision, protests against the project continued in Sindh, with the government urging demonstrators to cease.
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the attack on the minister's residence, labeling it as a "terrorist act."
He said those inciting violence under the guise of protesting have exposed their malicious intentions. Bilawal Bhutto urged strict action against those responsible for disturbing public order.
