Pakistan: Protesters in Sindh have rejected government assurances
Karachi: Despite the federal government’s announcement to halt the project until more talks, protesters in Sindh have rejected government promises and refused to lift their blockade against the proposed canal projects on the Indus River, according to Dawn.
The protracted protest has severely disrupted Pakistan’s supply network, as thousands of cargo carriers are unable to continue. Road restrictions have left between 10,000 and 15,000 trawlers, containers, vehicles, and oil tankers trapped in the Sukkur-Larkana division and close to Bahawalpur, according to remarks made by Tariq Gujjar, president of the Transport Goods Association (TGA), on Friday.
He said that drivers on the ground reported that the flow of goods, especially from Sukkur to Larkana and subsequently to Bahawalpur, remained virtually paralyzed.
According to Gujjar, the stalled cars are transporting essential goods such as coal, fruits, vegetables, export and import consignments, sacrificial animals, and medications. He said that before ending their strike, the protesting attorneys in charge of the protests were waiting for an official notice to be sent on May 2. They predicted that the blockage would persist until then, jeopardizing crucial logistics.
The contentious canal project will be put on hold until a consensus is achieved at the next Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, which is set for May 2, the federal administration said Thursday.
Advocate Aamir Warraich, who was representing the attorneys who were protesting, met with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), on Friday night to settle the situation. However, Dawn reported that there was no announcement at the time of publication regarding the cancellation of the strike.
Prior to these events, the Transport Goods Association threatened to intensify their protest by parking their cars in the middle of the road and going on strike if safe passage was not offered to stranded vehicles by noon on April 25 at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club.
Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh, urged the protesters to restore roadways and allow unhindered traffic flow. “Peaceful protests are acceptable, but public disruptions are not,” he said, highlighting the need for unity. He also cautioned that internal splits may work in favor of enemies like India.
The blockade is already having a major economic effect. When taking into account a separate four-day truckers’ strike connected to new fitness certificate regulations, Jawed Bilwani, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, calculated that Pakistan had lost more than PKR 500 billion (USD 1.8 billion) in export orders and domestic production over the previous 10 to 12 days.
Bilwani pointed out that Pakistan’s reputation with foreign purchasers was further harmed by the fact that sacrifice animals had perished during transport delays, textile exporters were missing important deadlines, and vital raw supplies were still stranded in transit.
Several political organizations and the attorneys who are demonstrating have rejected the government’s verbal promises. The general secretary of Sindh’s Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Rashid Mehmood Soomro, emphasized that the protests would not stop until the canal project was formally canceled in writing. According to Dawn, Advocate Vasand Thari, the central president of Awami Tehreek, said that the PPP was favoring Punjab’s interests above Sindh’s by taking the case to the CCI.
Moazzim Abbasi, a former congressman with the Grand Democratic Alliance, also called the federal government’s declaration a “lollipop,” promising that demonstrations would carry on until official notice was given.
