The entire political and social fabric of Sindh has risen in unison against the proposed plan to dig six canals from the Indus River to irrigate lands in Punjab. The rhetoric has been fiery and charged with existential alarm, with leaders warning that such a plan “threatens Sindh’s very survival”, and that the decision could push the “province’s 60 million residents to the brink of disaster”. While the emotional intensity is striking, it is also understandable.
Sindh has long been fiercely protective of the Indus River, its lifeline and sole source of fresh water. The river, which lends its name to the province, flows through Punjab before reaching Sindh, creating a perennial point of contention. For many in Sindh, proposals to dam, divert, or redistribute the Indus’s waters are viewed as manifestations of Punjab’s dominance in Pakistan’s political and economic spheres. Over decades, grievances have grown around the perception that the benefits of economic policies, taxation, and resource allocation disproportionately favour Punjab and its elites, often at the expense of Sindh and its urban centres.
The protests have featured criticism steeped in Sindhi nationalism, at times veering dangerously close to separatist rhetoric. However, the federal government must recognise that such reactions are almost inevitable when the allocation of the Indus’s waters is called into question. While the need to manage Pakistan’s dwindling freshwater resources more efficiently is indisputable, any such endeavour requires broad and explicit consensus with all stakeholders in Sindh. Without it, proposals like this risk igniting fierce opposition and uniting disparate groups against perceived encroachments. The governments of Sindh and Punjab, as well as federal authorities, must tread carefully. Ignoring the sensitivities surrounding the Indus River could reopen old wounds and exacerbate tensions, particularly when the political climate has only recently calmed after months of turbulence.
It is an enduring principle of Pakistan’s federal framework that any changes to the allocation of the Indus River’s waters require Sindh’s explicit agreement. This understanding has been a cornerstone of interprovincial relations since the country’s inception, and it must remain so to preserve harmony and stability in an already fragile federation.