Karachi, Mar 26 (PTI) The federal government in Pakistan is facing a growing protests spearheaded by nationalist party leaders, social activists, students, religious figures, lawyers and writers in the Sindh province after it announced plans to build new canals from the Indus River.

On Wednesday, Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM), a big nationalist party, held protest in Kotri on the banks of the Indus river, 150-odd kilometres northeast of Karachi, while the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), a coalition partner in the centre, organised protests in all major cities and towns of the southern province on Tuesday.

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The federal government has announced that there is a proposal to construct six canals in the Punjab province to irrigate land in the Cholistan region under the Green Pakistan Initiative – a project that has the support of the powerful army, the government and the provincial administration. The government announcement came in January and the soft launch in Cholistan took place in February.

However, since the announcement, various parties and groups in the Sindh province have protested it saying the canals would reduce the downstream water flow of Indus and adversely affect irrigation in Sindh.

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Leaders of nationalist parties warned these protests would spread in the province and disrupt business and life if the plans to construct new canals were not dropped.

Riaz Chandio of JSM said it was unfortunate that despite the PPP being a partner in the federal government and having its top leader Asif Ali Zardari as President, the government is going ahead with its plan.

“They must reverse this decision as Sindh in many parts is already facing water shortage and if new canals are built, Sindh will face a water famine,” Chandio warned.

Poet and writer Jami Chandio said it is an issue of life and death for the people of Sindh and the protests must continue and spread. “If required, we are even prepared to march to Islamabad,” he said.

Ayaz Latif Palijo, a seasoned nationalist leader with the Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), said that the massive participation of people in the protests all over the province had shown Sindhi people would not sit by and allow the centre to unsurp their rights.

He also called on the PPP, which has its power base in Sindh, and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in the National Assembly to move a resolution against the project of six canals on the Indus river.

On Tuesday, the PPP protests in multiple cities and towns including Hyderabad, Thatta, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Dadu, Kandhkot, Umerkot, Larkana and Khairpur saw protesters carrying banners and placards and staged a sit-in at different locations.

Leaders pointed to the existing water shortages in coastal areas such as Sujawal and Badin, where sea intrusion has already swallowed vast stretches of farmland.

“If these canals are constructed, Sindh will become a desert, forcing millions into starvation and displacement,” warned MNA Mir Shabbir Ali Khan Bajrani in Khairpur.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)