Moro Tragedy: Sindh’s Land & Water Battle

The international community must not ignore what is happening in Sindh

Sindh is rising—not in rebellion, but in resistance. And that resistance deserves the world’s attention and support.

By Dr. Mohammad Mataru Hingorjo | Ireland

In recent months, the province of Sindh in Pakistan has been gripped by an unprecedented wave of peaceful protests and civil resistance against two massive and controversial mega-projects: the construction of six canals over the Indus River and the so-called “Green Pakistan Initiative.” These projects, widely perceived as anti-Sindh in nature, have triggered a mass uprising from all corners of the province, uniting people across ethnic, professional, and class lines.

The six canals are being constructed to divert Indus River water toward Punjab province, threatening the already fragile water share of Sindh. Meanwhile, the Green Pakistan Initiative, branded as an environmental or agricultural uplift program, is in fact being viewed by many as a state-sponsored land-grabbing scheme. Under this initiative, large swathes of fertile land in Sindh and the Siraiki belt are being allocated—without public consultation—to the federal establishment and foreign companies. These lands are to be cultivated using water meant for Sindhi peasants, placing the livelihoods and future of local communities in grave danger. Even the poor farming communities in South Punjab are likely to suffer due to these re-allocations.

A vibrant, grassroots movement has emerged in response. It has been most pronounced in Sindh, the province set to be most severely affected. The people have taken to the streets in droves. A historical sit-in at the Baburlo Bypass, led by professionals, students, farmers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers, marked one of the most significant acts of defiance in recent Sindhi history. For several days, the main national highway was blocked, disrupting the transportation of goods to Punjab—a province largely dependent on Sindh’s access to the sea.

In the aftermath of this mass mobilization, the federal and Sindh governments, both of which are complicit in these controversial schemes, temporarily suspended the canal project. This move was largely seen as an attempt to pacify growing dissent amid rising regional tensions. However, once the threat of external conflict eased due to the intervention of international powers, the government officials, particularly those from Punjab and the federal ministries, resumed their public endorsements of the same projects.

The complicity of the Sindh government, led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has been deeply disheartening for the Sindhi population. Rather than standing with the people they were elected to serve, PPP has aligned itself with the federal establishment and Punjab-centered interests. This unholy alliance has come to symbolize betrayal—where a party that once claimed to champion provincial rights is now working in tandem with those looting Sindh’s resources.

This betrayal turned bloody in the town of Moro, where a peaceful protest against these very projects ended in a tragic loss of life. Two young peasants from a village situated on the banks of the Indus River—communities whose survival is intricately linked to the river—were killed during a demonstration. One died on the spot while the other succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Read: A Call for Justice

It is reported that following the deaths, a group consisting of police officials and individuals in civilian clothes stormed the hospital. They forcibly took custody of the deceased’s body, denying the family a dignified and lawful burial. For several days, the body remained in an ambulance under state control, and was later buried by the police without the family’s consent or presence—an act not only illegal under Pakistani law but deeply offensive to Sindhi cultural and religious traditions.

Adding to this cruelty, it is also reported that the village of the deceased peasants remains under police siege, another unlawful and oppressive act contributing to widespread fear and grief in the region.

In the face of this brutality, the government’s justification is deeply troubling. Authorities have attempted to dismiss the incident by claiming the protest was organized by a “separatist” party allegedly backed by foreign agents. Regardless of the party’s political leanings, the cause was a shared one—protecting the rights, water, and land of Sindh. If the government has legitimate concerns about foreign funding or separatist activity, it should follow legal procedures. Accusations cannot be used as a blanket excuse to brutalize peaceful demonstrators and suppress dissent.

It is important to reiterate that this movement is not a separatist uprising. The slogans being raised are not for secession but for survival. They are in defense of the Indus River, of economic justice, of environmental protection, and of the basic right to exist with dignity on one’s ancestral land. The people of Sindh are not demanding war—they are demanding water. They are not carrying weapons—they are carrying banners. And they are not asking for division—they are asking for justice within the federation.

The international community must not ignore what is happening in Sindh. This is not only a regional or political issue—it is a humanitarian and ecological crisis in the making. Environmental organizations, human rights advocates, and defenders of indigenous and agrarian communities must stand with the people of Sindh in this critical moment.

The time has come to call these projects what they truly are: tools of dispossession, destruction, and demographic manipulation. If unchecked, they will erase centuries of life along the Indus and replace it with militarized corporate farming.

Sindh is rising—not in rebellion, but in resistance. And that resistance deserves the world’s attention and support.

Read: A Slow War on Sindh’s Protesters

______________

Dr. Muhammad Mataro Hingorjo is a Family Physician originally from village Dhandhi Hingorja, Tharpakar, Sindh, currently residing in Limerick Ireland.