
Karachi, May 21 (H.S.): Protests against the Indus River canal project in Pakistan have escalated into violence. On Tuesday, demonstrators set fire to the home of Sindh province’s Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjhar in Moro city, along with several containers on the national highway. Clashes erupted between protesters and law enforcement, with reports of motorcycle-borne attackers targeting personnel from the Highway Safety Organization.
Protesters stole fertilizer bags and fled the scene. In response, the government erected roadblocks to manage the unrest. Minister Lanjhar condemned the arson and promised strict action against law violators, instructing increased police deployment to restore order. The Common Interests Council has paused the canal project until provincial consensus is achieved by April 28. Reports indicate that at least two protesters have died in confrontations with police, and over a dozen individuals—including a Deputy Superintendent of Police—sustained injuries. The Cholistan canal issue remains contentious between the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan Peoples Party, and the federal government under Shehbaz Sharif, which seeks to build six irrigation canals.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar