Violent protest over Indus water in Pakistan, Sindhu home minister's house set on fire

Tensions are running high in Pakistan's Sindh province over the federal government’s plan to construct six new canals on the Indus River. The unrest escalated into violence on Tuesday when protesters set fire to the home of Sindh’s Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar in Naushahro Firoz district. The mob vandalized the property, torched vehicles parked outside, and destroyed belongings inside the residence.

Though India has recently suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, the actual water flow of the Indus River has not yet been affected. However, Pakistan’s internal disputes over water allocation have already ignited public outrage. The federal government’s new canal project, meant to improve irrigation in the Punjab province’s Cholistan region, has triggered backlash from Sindh, where locals fear it will reduce their share of water.

Protesters accuse the government of favoring Punjab once again at the cost of provinces like Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This sentiment is not new, as previous movements in Sindh have questioned Punjab-centric policies that disregard regional water rights and resource distribution.

The Pakistan government claims that the new canals will help irrigate around 4 lakh acres of land in the arid Cholistan desert, enhancing agricultural output. However, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and several regional groups argue that this will deprive Sindh of its rightful water share and worsen the already fragile situation in the province.

In recent days, the protests have intensified. Roads and highways in Sindh have been blocked as demonstrators demand the immediate cancellation of the canal project. The anger, deeply rooted in longstanding grievances over resource sharing, has now turned into a major political flashpoint between the central government and the Sindh-based parties.