Lawyers’ protest against controversial canal projects triggers traffic disruption in Karachi – Pakistan

A lawyers’ protest organised by the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) and Hyderabad Bar Council in the provincial capital on Saturday led to a major traffic disruption on Sharea Faisal near the FTC flyover and roads leading to the press club.

The legal bodies were protesting against controversial canal projects, the 26th Constitutional Amendment, handing over Sindh’s lands for corporate farming and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Caravans of lawyers belonging to different district bars of the province arrived at the FTC flyover on Sharea Faisal where contingents of law enforcers were already deployed with containers parked, triggering traffic chaos and long lines of vehicles.

The lawyers held successful talks with the police and district administration under which they were allowed to take the route of Lines Area towards the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

The march, led by senior lawyers Javed Qazi, Sajjad Chandio, Asghar Narejo, Aqib Rajpar, Ashraf Samoo, Abid Khan Jatoi, Sameer Memon and others, reached the KPC where they chanted slogans against both federal and provincial governments and vowed to resist the canal projects.

The lawyers alleged that “One-Unit” had been imposed in the country, adding that construction work on the controversial projects had been almost half completed without the mandatory approval of the Council of Common Interest.

They said the people rejected such canal projects and would resist their construction.

South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com that the lawyers, belonging to Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Badin, Jamshoro, Thatta and Malir, reached Sharea Faisal and moved towards KPC through FTC bridge, Lucky Star, Rex Centre, Zainab Market and Fawara Chowk, which caused disruption in flow of traffic on main arteries in the city centre.

He said the protest was led by Hyderabad Bar president Ayaz Tunio, KBA president Amir Nawaz Waraich and Qazi Javed.

Around 500-600 lawyers chanted slogans and dispersed after the protest in a peaceful manner.

Javed told Dawn.com that it was a joint protest by the lawyers of Karachi and Hyderabad against a host of issues, such as the 26th Amendment; however, the primary demand was concerned with the water issue.

Javed, who is also a columnist, said the lawyers were giving a new dimension to emerging protests against the controversial water projects, accusing the PPP-led government and district administration of attempting to disrupt the protest.