Awami Tehreek organizes protest rally, sit-in against Corporate Farming and 6 New Canals in Kaloi town of Desert District Tharparkar
Kaloi, Tharparkar, Sindh
The Awami Tehreek organized a large protest rally and sit-in in Kaloi town of desert district Tharparkar on Thursday, condemning corporate farming, construction of six new canals, and the theft of Sindh’s water.
Led by Advocate Vasand Thari, Central President of Awami Tehreek, the demonstration drew hundreds of citizens, farmers, and activists, including representatives from the Sindh Graduates Association (SGA), Thar Citizens Forum, and Tail-end Abadgar Association.
The protesters demanded an immediate halt to corporate farming and canal construction, beside legal action against the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) members under Article 6 of the Constitution for data manipulation and issuing fraudulent water availability certificates for the Cholistan Canal.
They accused IRSA of conspiring against national unity, warning that its unlawful actions, including water distribution under the controversial three-tier formula, which violates constitutional provisions, risk pushing the country toward civil unrest. Additionally, they called for the revocation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), condemning it as an attack on provincial autonomy and Jinnah’s democratic Pakistan for enabling foreign exploitation of Sindh’s resources. The protesters further demanded urgent protection of Sindh’s natural heritage, including Karoonjhar, Kachho, and Gorakh, from corporate encroachment and environmental destruction, asserting that IRSA and the SIFC’s policies threaten both Sindh’s sovereignty and Pakistan integrity.
Vasand Thari condemned the Bilawal Shahbaz coalition government, led by the undemocratic forces, for establishing the SIFC, which they claim violates the 18th Constitutional Amendment and erodes provincial autonomy. They said that over 130,000 acres of Sindh’s land have been leased to foreign corporations for corporate farming, displacing local communities.
The protest also highlighted the construction of six canals, designed to benefit foreign agribusinesses while worsening water scarcity for Sindh’s farmers. Advocate Thari accused former President Asif Ali Zardari of amending IRSA laws to facilitate the sale of Sindh’s water to corporate farming companies and approving these canals for diversion.
Speakers criticized the PPP-led Sindh government for selling out Sindh’s resources, including the Karoonjhar Hills, Thar, and the Nara Desert, while failing to fulfill promises of “bread, clothing, and shelter.” They accused the party of trading Sindh’s water and land rights for political gains, calling its support for the “Green Pakistan” initiative a betrayal of Sindh’s interests.
Advocate Vasand Thari declared that The SIFC is a constitutional violation and a tool for foreign exploitation. By handing over our land and water to corporations, the PPP has compromised national sovereignty and turned Sindhis into refugees in their own homeland. Corporate farming and these canals are not development—they are a death sentence for Sindh’s farmers and ecology.The PPP’s empty slogans have robbed Sindh of its future. We will resist this plunder at all costs.
The rally began at Kaloi Hospital and culminated in a sit-in at Main Chowk of the town. Participants included Advocate Dayal Sahrai (Awami Tehreek Tharparkar Chapter President), SGA member Arbab Khalid, Thar Citizens Forum member Nasrullah Nohrio, farmer representative Arbab Amanullah, social worker Mohammad Khan Lund, and other civil society representatives.
Read: Indus River: No Dam or Canal Accepted
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