The Indus River is essential for the survival of the Sindhi people
After long years of sorrow and pain, the province has a deep realization that Sindh was passing through the bitter colonial system in the name of federation
Dr. Shahban Sahito
The lawyers of the Karachi Bar Association have staged a sit-in at Babrloe bypass against the construction of the six canals and blocked all the routes going to Punjab. This is the first time the lawyers and civil society have blocked the roads. Before this, for four months protests have been taking place against canal construction, but in these four months, the federal government and the Punjab provincial government did not pay heed to the protests. The civil society’s agitation against the canals now has reached at a decisive moment whether the federal government should take the decision of the canals’ construction back, or otherwise, the blockage of the roads to Punjab would continue till revocation is declared by the federal government.
On 18th April, the PPP, the ruling party in the province, also held a big public meeting at Hyderabad against canals, where Bilawal Bhutto criticized the federal government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and demanded to declare that the canals would not be built. Though PPP is also a second large partner of the federal government, it seems both parties have a serious misunderstanding over the issues and policies.
At the outset of the canals issue, there was criticism of the PPP in Sindh by the civil society and political parties of the Sindh that President Asif Ali Zardari had given consent for the construction of the canals. PPP however denied saying that it was just a briefing meeting with IRSA. The PPP has been considered most responsible for compromising the water distribution matters of Sindh etc. It’s also a fact that the PPP has compromised on several issues for the sake of the power in Sindh and share in federal structure. PPP’s policies are said to be dominated by Asif Ali Zardari who is best known for the power-sharing formula to stay in government.
In last seventeen years, the PPP government is surviving in the province only because of the compromise on the province’s autonomy, natural resources, taxes and lands. In the years of the PPP rule in Sindh, the province has collapsed socially and economically. The grievances of the people of the province are greater than before. The law and order situation in the province has deteriorated; there has been rise in extremism and social insecurity, decline of education, while in other social sectors the PPP government has shown a poor performance during last seventeen years. Most people compared the PPP rule in the province with the martial law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq, whose era is known as the darkest chapter of history in Sindh.
After long years of sorrow and pain, the province has a deep realization that Sindh was passing through the bitter colonial system in the name of federation. A province that contributes the largest share of revenue but gets nothing, and the people of the province are being treated as secondary-class citizens in the country. The feeling of alienation is getting stronger, especially among the youth who are frustrated socially.
Now, the new generation does not think of traditional ways of resolving problems; their approach has been radically changed. The old-style political parties do not satisfy their burgeoning interests and desires. They feel stuck and suffocated in the present political and social structure.
The federal structure in Pakistan for 77 years is dominated by a single province Punjab which is extracting the resources of the rest of the provinces. When I discussed the current political issues in class with graduate students they did not hesitate to say that the country is run by the military establishment which is the most powerful institution in the country. Without their assent and consent, no government can stay in power. The new generation has enough experience of recent political upheaval in one decade wherein civilian governments have been toppled and installed. In political terms a ‘hybrid’ system of governments.
The ruling elite should understand the depth of problems and that Pakistan cannot be ruled in a traditionally centralized way. It is high time for the integrity and sovereignty of the country that all matters need to be resolved politically. Otherwise, the cost would be high.
For twenty years, Baluchistan has been burning and the recent insurgency level is so intensive. The establishment wants to repeat the same experience by making a hard state and a hard state is the colonial pattern, not a modern state. Therefore, we should learn from the past.
Sindh is the second largest province in Pakistan and plays a crucial role in providing the country with major share in revenue. Karachi, a bustling port city in Sindh, is vital for the nation’s economy and revenue generation. It is difficult to envision modern Pakistan functioning effectively without altering the mindset of the elite, who often adopt dictatorial policies. The Indus River is essential for the survival of the Sindhi people. Therefore, the construction of additional canals on the Indus River is considered highly detrimental.
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Dr. Shahban Sahito is an Assistant Professor at Department of International Relations, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
