Members of Pakistan’s transgender community staged a powerful protest outside the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, voicing strong opposition to the federal government’s controversial Cholistan canal project.
The demonstrators denounced the initiative as an unconstitutional and unjust attempt to divert water resources from Sindh to benefit the neighboring province of Punjab.
The protestors, many holding placards and chanting slogans, accused the federal government of orchestrating what they described as a deliberate move to render Sindh barren. Central to their outrage is the proposed construction of six new canals in the Cholistan region, a plan they believe will devastate Sindh’s already vulnerable agricultural sector.
Shahzadi Rai, a well-known transgender rights activist and member of the Karachi Municipal Corporation, issued a stark warning to the authorities. “If the federal government does not withdraw this project, we will block all roads connecting Sindh to Punjab. If Sindh is denied its water rights, Punjab should not be allowed to use Karachi Port either,” she declared.
Transgender leader Bindiya Rani condemned the project as “illegal and unconstitutional,” demanding an immediate halt to its development. “This is a deliberate plan to destroy Sindh’s resources for the benefit of Punjab,” she said. “We will not allow our land and water to be stolen.”
The protest also criticized the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs Sindh province. Jamt e Islami Councillor Chandni Shah accused the PPP of betraying the people of Sindh by supporting the bill under the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari. “This canal bill reflects the PPP’s double standards,” she said. “Bilawal Bhutto Zardari must take a stand now and sever ties with the federal government if he truly supports Sindh.”
Bubbles Khanum, another vocal activist at the protest, slammed the project’s environmental implications. “Fertile lands in Cholistan cannot be created at the cost of Sindh’s agricultural lifeline. This anti-people and anti-Sindh project must be stopped immediately.”
The protest highlights rising inter-provincial tensions in Pakistan over resource distribution and governance. As opposition to the canal project intensifies, activists across Sindh are calling for broader public mobilization to safeguard the province’s rights under Pakistan’s Constitution.
