SUKKUR, June 15, 2025 — Civil society groups, farmers, and legal activists across Sindh are raising alarm over what they call the “colonisation” of the Indus River through federal canal projects under the Green Pakistan Initiative. These projects, they argue, prioritize military-backed and corporate farming interests at the expense of the province’s ecological survival and legal water rights.

Protests have gained momentum in recent weeks with large sit-ins, rallies, and legal actions in cities including Sukkur, Thatta, Hyderabad, and Ghaghar Phatak. Activists are demanding a halt to six major canal projects, including the controversial Cholistan Canal, which they claim violate the 1991 Indus Water Accord by diverting water away from lower riparian Sindh to Punjab.

Lawyers and bar associations in Babarloi led a significant sit-in from April 18 to 29, which eventually prompted a temporary halt to construction through a Council of Common Interests intervention. However, protesters say that only a permanent cancellation of the projects will address their concerns.

Environmental experts warn that the projects pose irreversible threats to the Indus Delta, already facing a 75% drop in freshwater flow. This has led to the loss of mangroves, coastal erosion, and an increasing risk of desertification in southern Sindh.

Organisers of the protests are framing the canal developments as a form of modern-day resource extraction reminiscent of colonial practices. The repeated slogan “Let the river flow” has become a rallying cry for justice, ecology, and regional equity.

The Green Pakistan Initiative, launched jointly by the Punjab government and military, aims to irrigate 4.8 million acres of desert land but has faced mounting criticism for bypassing Sindh’s stakeholders and environmental safeguards.

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