Sindh human rights group to protest outside UN office over water crisis
May 19, 2022
New York [US], May 19 : Amid the ongoing water shortage in Pakistan leading to a tense standoff between the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, a human rights group, Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) has called for protests against the crisis in front of the UN office in New York.
The protest coincides with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's two-day visit to the US, ostensibly to repair ties with one of its long-term partners which was dealt a severe blow during the term of Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Asain Lite reported.
The Sindh activists are targeting the Global Food Security-Call to Action Ministerial which is being organised under the chairmanship of the US and is being attended by Pakistan Foreign Minister.
JSFM founder, Zafar Sahito said that they are targeting Bhutto as it is his party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), that runs Sindh which is facing an acute shortage of water, Asian Lite reported citing India Narrative.
"The Sindh government run by the PPP elites have sold the national resources of the province to Pakistan's military in lieu of personal benefits. The people of the province are facing a severe shortage of water," Sahito said.
The Sindhi campaigner, who lives in exile in the US, further blamed the construction of big dams and canals on the Indus river as collaborative ventures between Pakistan and China have brought a climate crisis to the Sindh province.
Sahito also called for an international investigation into the sharing of waters of the river Indus between Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces, the report said.
The water situation in Sindh has worsened with little water flowing into its Indus-linked canals province from the upstream region of Punjab, sparking a small kerfuffle between the irrigation and water ministers of the two provinces.
The situation worsened this year with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah pointing out a water shortage of nearly 40 per cent. Highlighting how dire the situation has been in the province, he asked rice farmers to avoid cultivating the water-intensive crop this year, the report said.
