Lawyers across Sindh have ended widespread sit-ins following the Council of Common Interests’ (CCI) rejection of the controversial Indus River canal project. However, the protest at Baberlo Bypass in Khairpur, now in its 12th day, remains ongoing as additional demands are yet to be addressed.
Celebrations erupted at the Baberlo site after news broke that the federal government’s plan to construct new canals had been overturned. Demonstrators hailed the move as a triumph for Sindh’s rights and solidarity.
The All Sindh Lawyers Action Committee announced the suspension of all remaining sit-ins and court strikes across the province, effective April 30. The Baberlo protest will continue pending negotiations with the Sindh government.
Committee leader Sarfraz Metlo confirmed that representatives will meet with provincial officials in Sukkur to press for further demands, including the abolition of corporate farming initiatives, withdrawal of legal cases against protesting lawyers, and the return of impounded vehicles. A decision on ending the Baberlo sit-in will follow the outcome of these discussions.
Karachi Bar Association President Aamir Nawaz Warraich emphasized that although the Baberlo sit-in continues, it is no longer obstructing traffic. He also insisted that with the canal project scrapped, corporate farming plans must be revisited and cancelled as well.
Despite the resolution, previous road blockades have left over 40,000 vehicles stranded across various points, severely affecting the transport of goods and essential supplies between Sindh and Punjab.
In Karachi, a separate protest on the Link Road — connecting the National and Super Highways — has now ended, restoring normal traffic flow. Protests in Kandhkot, Ghotki, and other districts have also been called off, easing mobility across the province.
CCI Overturns Canal Plan
In a major policy reversal, the CCI, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, formally rejected the federal government’s proposal to construct new canals from the Indus River. It also overturned an earlier approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), issued on February 7.
The CCI directed that a new federal-provincial committee be established to review water and agriculture policies within the framework of the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord and the 2018 National Water Policy. It also returned a water availability certificate issued by IRSA in January, urging broader consultation with all provinces.
The canal initiative — part of the federal Green Pakistan Initiative — had sparked intense backlash across Sindh, with concerns it would violate the province’s historical water rights. The now-shelved Cholistan canals project, estimated at Rs211.4 billion, aimed to irrigate vast stretches of barren land in Punjab’s Cholistan region.
Despite earlier assurances from the prime minister that no project would proceed without provincial consensus, weeks of protests by lawyers, political parties, and civil society forced the government’s hand in halting the plan.
Source: Web Desk
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