Thatta rally protests 'grabbing' of Sindh's land, resources

THATTA: Political and nationalist activists, students, social workers and local residents took part in a rally in Thatta on Saturday organised by the Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz (JSM-R) to protest what participants described as the grabbing of land in Sindh and the transfer of the province’s natural resources.

The procession began at Makli Public Park and moved through a nearby stretch of the National Highway before ending at the Thatta rickshaw stand. Participants chanted slogans against policies and initiatives of the federal and Sindh governments, which they said were enabling the takeover of land in Kohistan and other parts of Sindh’s coastal belt and depriving the province of its resources.

Allegations raised at rally

Addressing the gathering, JSM-R chairman Riaz Chandio alleged that powerful groups were using development projects as a cover to seize land belonging to local communities in Kohistan and coastal areas. He said such actions were forcing residents to give up ancestral property and leave their settlements.

Referring to the Gujju area, he claimed that people from Samano Mahalla had been unlawfully dispossessed of their land. He also alleged that efforts were under way to take control of nearly 25,000 acres in Kohistan.

Chandio also criticised the Sindh government over what he described as the handing over of the province’s natural wealth — including coal reserves, minerals, coastal land and islands — to foreign companies and the corporate sector. He alleged that these policies were undermining the rights and identity of local communities.

Attributing the remarks to Chandio, he told participants: “The people of Kohistan and the coastal belt have lived on these lands for centuries. Instead of protecting their rights, the authorities are facilitating outsiders’ interests at the expense of local residents’ rights and properties,” he said.

Water concerns also highlighted

Other speakers included JSM vice chairman Nawaz Shah Bhadai, Rukhsana Halepoto, Ilahi Bux Chachar, Amjad Shoro and Jeay Sindh Tehreek leader Rawal Kirnani. They spoke about the environmental and economic consequences of water shortages and disputed water distribution policies.

The speakers said Sindh was already facing a serious water shortage and argued that the controversial proposal to build six canals from the Indus River would worsen the situation. They also said reduced water flows downstream of Kotri were causing further damage to agriculture, the Indus delta and the coastal ecosystem.

According to the speakers, sea intrusion has severely affected the coastal districts of Thatta, Sujawal and Badin because of inadequate freshwater releases downstream of Kotri. They said large areas of fertile land had been inundated by seawater, leading to the displacement of thousands of families and harming the livelihoods of fishing communities.

Demands of protesters

The protesters called for adequate freshwater flows downstream of Kotri, an immediate stop to land acquisitions in Sindh and recognition of local communities’ primary right over the province’s natural resources.

The rally brought together a broad mix of political workers, nationalist activists and residents, with speakers linking land issues in Kohistan and coastal areas to wider concerns over water scarcity, environmental degradation and the rights of local populations in Sindh.