The province of Sindh in Pakistan has been embroiled in ongoing protests for several months, involving a wide spectrum of society, from political parties and civil society organisations across the spectrum to ordinary citizens, including women and children. Although the protests were sparked by and are focused on a contentious canal project proposed by the federal government along the Indus River, the root of the crisis lies in the long-standing systemic discrimination and neglect faced by Sindhis at the hands of the Pakistani state.

The people of Sindh have consistently raised concerns that their resources, particularly water, are being exploited in a manner that disproportionately benefits Punjab, the country’s most populous and agriculturally prosperous province. The federal government’s recent proposal to construct a canal to irrigate the arid lands of Cholistan in southern Punjab has heightened fears of further diversion of Indus water, thereby exacerbating the already severe water crisis in lower-riparian Sindh.

Among the protesting groups is the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which governs Sindh but is also a part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition at the federal level, raising concerns about the potential fracture of the alliance.

The canal project is part of the broader Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), which was launched in July 2023 with the aim of modernising the country’s agricultural sector. Agriculture is vital to Pakistan’s economy, contributing approximately 25 per cent to its GDP and providing employment to around 37 per cent of the population. However, outdated practices and infrastructural shortcomings have led to declining........

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