The lawyers’ sit-in at Babarloi Bypass in Khairpur against the proposed construction of new canals from the Indus River entered its third consecutive day on Sunday, with widespread shutter down strikes and road blockades being observed across Sindh.
Shutter down protests have been reported in major cities and towns including Jamshoro, Larkana, Naushehro Feroz, Sujawal, Nawabshah, and Ghotki, as public resentment continues to grow over the controversial canal project.
Vehicular traffic between Sindh and Punjab has been severely disrupted as a result of road blockades, particularly on the National Highway. In Larkana, shopkeepers, petrol pumps, and markets remain closed, while business activities have come to a complete halt in Ratodero, Baqrani, Dokri, and Badah.
Protests have intensified in Jamshoro and Nawabshah where all commercial activities are suspended. Similar scenes are being reported in Sujawal, Kandhkot, Shahdadkot, Kashmore, and other districts where markets and public services have been shut down.
In Naushehro Feroz, Moro, Padidan, Kandiaro, and Mehrabpur, the protests have paralyzed trade, with political workers and activists from nationalist parties blocking key roads and highways. The National Highway remains closed at Halani and Kandiaro as protesters demand the federal government reverse its decision on the canal project.
Speakers at various protest sites condemned the project, calling it a "conspiracy to turn Sindh’s fertile lands into desert" and vowed to continue demonstrations until their demands are addressed.
