Once a symbol of prosperity and life, the Indus River now faces a dire threat—new canals aimed at diverting its already scarce waters to support corporate farming in the Cholistan Desert under the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI). This move, backed by the federal government, has sparked a powerful resistance movement across Sindh, and its most prominent voices are emerging from the province’s legal community.

The water scarcity in Sindh is reaching alarming levels. According to recent reports, the province has faced an average annual water shortage of 40–45% from 1999 to 2023. In 2023, Sindh was allocated 4.645 million acre-feet (MAF) of water but only received 3.560 MAF—significantly less than needed. Meanwhile, Punjab, which consumes a larger share of Indus waters, has faced a smaller shortage, exploiting its share beyond sustainable limits.

Sindh, known as the country’s breadbasket, produces 30% of Pakistan’s rice, nearly 97% of the nation’s bananas, and is the heart of Asia’s chili production. Yet, the region’s agriculture is under threat, with 18 million acres of farmland already unfarmed due to water shortages. Another 12 million acres face the same fate with the introduction of the new canal project.

While Sindh’s water resources are drained to support corporate farms in Punjab’s Cholistan Desert, the people of Sindh are left to suffer the consequences. The Green Pakistan Initiative, which proposes the construction of new canals, focuses on transforming desert lands into fertile zones for corporate farming—an investment that only benefits powerful agribusinesses and real estate moguls. The losers? Indigenous communities, small farmers, and the rural poor who depend on the Indus River’s water for survival.

Sindh’s lawyers have become the vanguard of a movement that is not just about water, but about the very survival of Sindh itself. From Karachi to Kashmore, legal professionals have taken to the streets, leading rallies, filing petitions, and calling for public hearings on the canal projects. They are defending Sindh’s rights in the face of an unconstitutional federal initiative that bypasses constitutional safeguards such as the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

This isn’t just an issue of irrigation—it’s a question of fairness, survival, and the abuse of power. While deserts in Cholistan are being irrigated at the cost of Sindh’s agricultural heartlands, the true beneficiaries of this initiative are corporate investors and large-scale agribusinesses. Meanwhile, the victims are the people of Sindh—farmers, families, and communities whose very existence depends on the Indus River’s waters.

The environmental toll of this project is undeniable: deforestation, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable water usage are just the beginning. Sindh’s legal community has stepped up, not just as defenders of the law but as champions of environmental justice.

The fight for water in Sindh is not just about resources—it’s about protecting the environment, securing livelihoods, and upholding the Constitution. The proposed canals violate the constitutional rights of Sindh’s people, and it’s up to the legal community to hold those in power accountable.

This is not the first time Sindh has found itself fighting for its water rights. The memory of the Kalabagh Dam movement is still fresh in the minds of many. The current protests are even larger and more urgent than before, with grassroots support swelling in every corner of the province.

Sindh’s lawyers have ignited a fire, but the fight is far from over. The time for action is now. Citizens, farmers, teachers, journalists—everyone has a role to play in this battle. From the streets to the courts, we must stand together and demand justice for Sindh’s water.