KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Protests against the controversial six-canal project turned violent on Tuesday as demonstrators stormed and set fire to the residence of Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar in Naushahro Feroze district.
The minister’s house, located in Moro city near the National Highway, was ransacked, with household items and property set ablaze. Two nearby trailers were also torched during the unrest.
The protests stem from the federal government’s proposed construction of six canals from the Indus River to irrigate the Cholistan desert — a project fiercely opposed by the Sindh-based Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and several nationalist groups.
With an estimated cost of Rs211.4 billion, the project aimed to bring 400,000 acres of barren land under cultivation. However, critics argue it threatens Sindh’s water rights and ecological balance.
Tensions peaked despite the Council of Common Interests (CCI) rejecting the project last month, reversing an earlier decision by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The Prime Minister’s Office had assured that no new canal projects would move forward without consensus from all provinces.
Nonetheless, demonstrations have continued across Sindh, with widespread rallies, sit-ins, and road blockades led by political, religious, and civil society groups. In Tuesday’s violence, clashes broke out between police and protesters, with law enforcement resorting to baton charges. Protesters responded by hurling stones, injuring a station house officer (SHO) and two policemen. Five protesters were also wounded and taken to a nearby hospital.
Following the incident, Minister Lanjar demanded a detailed report from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Naushahro Feroze and called for strict action against those responsible for “challenging the writ of the state.”
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the attack on Lanjar’s residence, labeling it an “act of terrorism” and emphasizing the need to resolve political differences through dialogue, not violence.
