Water Wars, Nationalism, and Battle For Sindhudesh: What’s Behind Sindh’s Fury? Inside Southern Pakistan Province’s Revolt Against Islamabad

The southern Pakistani province of Sindh is witnessing one of the most widespread and determined protest movements in recent times. The region has erupted in a wave of mass protests with calls for Sindhudesh, a proposed independent homeland for Sindhis, growing louder by the day. 

What began as resistance to the government's $3.3 billion canal project under the army-led Green Pakistan Initiative has transformed into a burning criticism of Pakistan army’s centralised control, economic injustice, and cultural marginalisation. Across the Sindh province, the unrest has now evolved into a sweeping call for autonomy, justice, and independence.

Sindhis Taking To The Streets

From Karachi to Sukkur, and from rural villages to provincial capitals, Sindhis have taken to the streets in thousands, blocking highways, storming government buildings, and chanting slogans for water rights and political freedom. 

Protesters claim that the controversial Green Pakistan Initiative is yet another example of Islamabad's pro-Punjab bias, a ages-long grievance that now threatens to fracture Pakistan’s already shattered regional unity.

What’s the Controversial Canal Project?

The tipping point of unrest in Sindh came in February 2025, when Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz launched a $3.3-billion canal project aimed at irrigating barren land across Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. The Green Pakistan Initiative, which was called a solution to the country’s food security crisis, planned to develop 1.9 million hectares of agricultural land through six canals - five along the Indus River and one along the Sutlej.

But the plan was immediately seen as an existential threat for Sindh, a region which is located downstream on the Indus River and suffers from chronic water shortages. The proposed canal project, protesters alleged, are designed to divert even more water to Punjab and benefit corporates at the expense of small farmers.

Protests Explode Online and On-Ground 

The people of Sindh rose up in unison. What began with local farmer rallies turned into a widespread movement. Political parties, students, doctors, civil society groups, and trade unions joined hands. The hashtag #NoMoreCanalsOnIndus surged; meanwhile, mass demonstrations erupted in cities across Singh province. Protesters were seen taking to the streets chanting "Let the water flow!" and "Sindh’s waters are not for sale!".

Northern Sindh Turns Violent

In late April, following intense pressure, the Pakistan government announced it was shelving the canal project temporarily but protestors never left the streets.

What had been largely peaceful protests turned violent on May 19. Police opened fire on unarmed protesters in Naushahro Feroze district, killing Zahid Laghari, a prominent activist from the Sindhi nationalist party Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM). Another protestor also lost his life in police brutality, while several others were injured.

Angry protesters then responded by torching oil tankers, blocking national highways, and storming the home of Sindh’s Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader. His house was vandalised and partially set on fire.

As tensions spread, the area turned into a war zone, with baton charges, aerial firing, and police vans smashed. 

PPP’s Credibility Crisis

The PPP, long seen as Sindh’s political guardian, has also found itself under fire, accused of betraying its own people to serve Punjab's interests. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), traditionally Sindh’s dominant political force, received backlash after its chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari initially supported the canal plan, calling it ‘vital’ for national agriculture. 

But as public anger surged, Bilawal backtracked, blaming Islamabad and accusing it of ignoring Sindh’s interests. He also tried playing the India card: “India's announcement on the Indus Waters Treaty was not illegal, but against humanity… Not a single drop of Sindh's water will be given away.”

But his U-turn came little and got zero on-ground support and the protesters denounced Bilawal as ‘a pawn of the Punjabi military establishment’. The protesters called Bilawal Bhutto ‘immature and power-hungry’ whose party has betrayed Sindh to remain in power in Islamabad.

The Sindhudesh Call

The fresh canal conflict has reawakened a long-pending Sindhi nationalist movement. Calls for Sindhudesh, which was once dismissed by Islamabad as foreign-sponsored, can now be heard at mainstream rallies within the region.

As the protesters reject Pakistan’s economic model extracting Sindh’s resources (gas, coal, and water) while giving very little in return, the demand for independence now echoing louder. Flags, posters, and graffiti bearing ‘Sindhudesh Zindabad’ have appeared across the province.

China's Silent Expansion in Sindh Plays a Role?

Amid the ongoing turmoil, what added fuel to the fire is China’s recent deployment of private security personnel in Sindh. More than 6,500 Chinese nationals currently work at coal power plants in Sindh’s Thar region alone, and 30,000 are involved in the broader China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The deployment reportedly took place after several deadly attacks on Chinese nationals, including a Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) suicide bombing that killed two engineers last October.

As it is visible, Islamabad has lost the plot and it is struggling to restore order in the region. A protest about canal project has taken the shape of a full-fledged uprising over regional identity, independence, and justice.