Canals project: Sindh lawyers end sit-ins except in Baberlo

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Lawyers in Sindh announced on Tuesday that they are ending all ongoing sit-ins across the province, except for the Baberlo Bypass protest in Khairpur, after the Council of Common Interests (CCI) rejected the controversial new canals project from the Indus River.

Following the CCI decision, celebrations broke out at the Baberlo Bypass sit-in, where protests had entered their 12th day. Protesters termed the CCI’s rejection of the canal project a major victory for Sindh’s unity and resistance.

The All Sindh Lawyers Action Committee confirmed that court strikes would officially end from April 30 and that sit-ins in locations such as Karachi, Kandhkot, Ghotki, and other districts had concluded.

However, the Baberlo sit-in will continue for now as several additional demands remain unresolved.

Lawyer leader Sarfraz Metlo stated that the action committee would hold talks with Sindh government officials in Sukkur to push for further demands, including the abolition of corporate farming, withdrawal of cases against protesting lawyers, and return of seized vehicles.

A decision regarding the Baberlo sit-in will be made after these negotiations.

Karachi Bar Association President Aamir Nawaz Warraich said that while the Baberlo protest persists, it is no longer disrupting traffic flow.

He reiterated the demand that corporate farming projects should also be cancelled following the government's withdrawal of the new canals project.

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Monday rejected the federal government’s proposal to construct new canals from the Indus River, overturning an earlier decision by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) made in February.

“No new canals will be constructed without mutual understanding and consensus among all provinces,” stated a release from the Prime Minister’s Office following the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The high-level meeting, convened early at the request of the Sindh government, was attended by the chief ministers of all four provinces, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Federal Minister Ameer Muqam, and other officials.