The legal community in Sindh is set to stage a sit-in today at the Babarlo bypass, located between Sukkur and Khairpur, in protest against the construction of six canals on the Indus River. The move marks the second phase of what the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) describes as a “non-violent civil resistance campaign.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, KBA leaders called on all political parties and members of civil society to stand with them in opposing the controversial canals project. The lawyers also announced plans to peacefully block all motorway routes connecting Sindh to the rest of the country.
KBA General Secretary Rehman Korai appealed to the broader public to support the cause, while KBA President Aamir Nawaz Warraich emphasized that the protest would remain peaceful unless provoked by any unlawful action from the authorities. He stated that the march would begin from the Sindh High Court parking area and proceed towards the Babarlo bypass, where lawyers will hold a sit-in.
Warraich warned that the protest would continue until the government withdraws the canal construction plan and addresses other unresolved issues.
Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) announced additional sit-ins to be held on April 18 along the National Highway in Rohri and Shikarpur. These demonstrations are also in protest against both the canal project and corporate farming initiatives.
In a joint statement, SHCBA President Barrister Sarfaraz Ali Metlo and Secretary Mirza Sarfaraz Ahmed stated that a resolution passed at the All Pakistan Lawyers and Stakeholders Convention on April 11 had unanimously rejected both the new canals and corporate farming. The SHCBA urged the federal government to scrap the project within a week or face escalating protests.