Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah called on lawyers and opposition parties rallying against the planned six new canals on Indus River to not trouble the public by blocking highways while staging their protests.
Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the ambitious Cholistan project to irrigate south Punjab’s lands on February 15 amid public uproar and strong reservations in Sindh. The Sindh Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution against the project in March.
The past few months have seen nationwide protests from political parties, including the ruling coalition ally PPP, and residents against the proposed project.Responding to a query during a press conference in Karachi today, CM Murad said: “Please, continue your protest — we support it — but do not cause suffering for the public.”
Saying that the protests by lawyers and opposition parties were “good” as they were for the cause of Sindh’s people, he noted, “But they should also consider the difficulties faced by the people and take care of that.
“Protesting by blocking roads and causing pain to your own people of Sindh — is this a protest?” the chief minister exclaimed.
He reiterated that he did not mind the protests but criticised individuals blocking the M-9 motorway, highlighting that the Sindh government did not take any action against them to “maintain unity” over the canals project issue.
CM Murad said he saw videos of the protesters at these rallies preventing ambulances from passing by before being allowing them to proceed, adding that cattle owners were also immensely troubled as their goods were halted.
The chief minister was holding the press conference alongside Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, to express condolences over the death of Pope Francis yesterday and pay tribute to him.
Answering a question about lawyers expressing a “lack of confidence” in the Sindh government, Murad said: “I trust them [lawyers], as they are doing the same work as we are.”He termed such remarks “inappropriate” and asserted that the PPP had “spearheaded” the opposition to the canals project.
CM Murad also claimed that work on the six canals project had been halted since July 2024, rebutting reports of ongoing or recent construction work.
