Sindh [Pakistan] April 27 : Road transport and judicial operations have come to a standstill in various districts of Sindh as protests against the Pakistan government's proposed Indus River canal project continued to spread across the province, Geo News reported.
People are protesting against the project as it will divert the Indus water in Punjab, thereby decreasing the downstream supply to Sindh.
Lawyers have said that sit-ins will continue until the government formally cancels the project. The sit-in by lawyers in Khairpur entered its ninth day at the Babarlou Bypass on the National Highway.
Two sit-ins continue in Ghotki, one by nationalist groups at the Mangrio Pump site near Daharki, and another by lawyers at the Sindh-Punjab border near Kamo Shaheed.
The two groups have said that the protests will continue until a notification confirming the project's cancellation is not released, despite assurance given by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that no canal would be constructed without consensus.
Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, following weeks of unrest in Sindh, Geo News reported.
While addressing a joint press conference, Sharif said that no canal will be built until there is consensus in the Council of Common Interests (CCI). He announced that the next CCI meeting will he held on May 2 to formally endorse the agreement reached with PPP.
Meanwhile, the ongoing protests, joined by members of the civil society, have resulted in the complete suspension of goods transport between Sindh and Punjab.
The Sindh Bar Council announced a strike across the province, disrupting legal proceedings. Courts in Hyderabad, Larkana, Nawabshah, Jacobabad, and other cities were boycotted, and the City Court remained shut even on Friday. Litigants were distressed as Hundreds of cases were adjourned without hearing.
The transport blockade has also impacted other parts of Pakistan. More than 1,000 containers belonging to the textile sector carrying exporting and importing goods remain stranded in Faisalabad due to road closures in Sindh, causing a shortage of raw materials and disrupting factory production.
Speaking to Geo News, the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce termed the situation grave and requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief General Asim Munir, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to intervene in the matter.
He warned that continued disruptions could cause harm to the economy of Pakistan and requested all concerned authorities to help restore operations promptly. He said, "We understand the government is trying to bring improvement, but such incidents are damaging our exports."
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