DAWN Editorials - 3rd April 2025

[zarnishhayat]

Canal unrest

AS unrest in Sindh increases over the Cholistan canal plan, the PPP seems unclear on how to cool public sentiments. There are strong concerns that the project will further disturb the ecological balance in the province and deprive it of its mandated water share, putting at risk the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people and displacing communities. Many in Sindh believe that the PPP, especially President Asif Zardari, has tacitly lent its support to the controversial scheme to please the powers that be. This is in spite of the party’s efforts to raise the issue in parliament and demand a meeting of the Council of Common Interests before the execution of the scheme.


Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s recent media briefing was also an attempt to put at rest public concerns over the planned canal as he claimed that work on the scheme had yet not commenced. He seems to have drawn this conclusion on the basis of his information that Punjab has still not spent the funds it had allocated for the disputed canal in the budget for the present fiscal year.

In the same breath, he sought to dispel the impression that the PPP or President Zardari were implicitly favouring the plan. “The PPP has the strength and capability to halt the scheme,” he said, implying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif depended on the party’s support to stay in power. “This power will be exercised only if necessary. We are prepared to go to any lengths to protect the rights of Sindh. If our concerns are acknowledged, there will be no need for extreme measures,” he concluded. However, such reassurances from the party leadership are unlikely to dispel suspicions regarding the PPP’s alleged complicity in the project unless President Zardari himself clarifies his stance.

The growing opposition to the project calls for pausing its execution till a detailed data-based study is prepared by experts on its potential impact on Sindh’s shrinking delta due to sea intrusion driven by reduced ecological flows below Kotri. Besides, the claims that the canal would be fed by floodwaters from Jhelum or Punjab’s own share should be supported with data. Boosting agricultural productivity for food security and exports is crucial for the country. But it should not come at the cost of interprovincial harmony and the federation or the displacement of communities and tenants.

With rising water scarcity in the Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process. Or the canal project may turn into yet another highly divisive project like the Kalabagh dam, something that can neither be accepted nor discarded. So far those backing the project have not shown any inclination of taking all the stakeholders on board.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2025


Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes its harsh tone, a new and destructive confrontation in the Middle East is very likely. Donald Trump had written to the Iranian leadership early last month, asking Tehran to resume talks on the nuclear issue. However, he also threatened to attack Iran if it failed to comply. Over the weekend, the US president again ratcheted up the threats, saying that if Iran did not return to the table, “there will be bombing ... the likes of which they have never seen before”. The threat did not go down well in Tehran, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating in his Eid sermon that an American attack would receive “a strong reciprocal blow”. These developments could simply be viewed as posturing under Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign designed to bring the Iranians to heel. However, the accompanying military moves spell trouble. For example, the American bombing campaign against the pro-Iran Houthis in Yemen is being seen as a message to Tehran, while the US is dispatching another aircraft carrier to the region, along with assembling more bombers on Iran’s periphery. Even a slight miscalculation in such combustible conditions could lead to immense devastation.

While militarily there is no parallel between the American war machine and Iran’s defensive capabilities, any armed engagement would be catastrophic, hammering the global economy. After all, the US has several bases and tens of thousands of troops in the region; all of this would be within the reach of Iranian missiles in case of an attack. This is why the Gulf states have reportedly warned the US against involving them in any hostile action against Iran, while Russia has also raised the alarm. Any instability in the wider region would also have negative consequences for Pakistan, bringing another war to its borders. Therefore, the US needs to back down and engage Iran with respect. While America wants a complete rollback of the Iranian nuclear programme, this is unlikely. The Iranians are willing to negotiate, but not with a gun to their head. The following weeks will be critical; either the US can address the crisis with wisdom (which seems to be in short supply in Washington) or risk a conflagration with global consequences.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2025


Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity is a missed opportunity. Governmental disregard, outdated preservation procedures and negligible facilities for researchers and tourists have ensured that just a fraction of this Bronze Age vestige sees the light of day. A new directive from the Larkana circuit bench of the Sindh High Court to resume commercial flight operations, suspended in 2018, to and from the heritage site and enforce its 2022 order with immediate effect, can breathe life into Mohenjodaro. Built in 1967, the small airport, once the third busiest airstrip in Sindh with five flights per week, two charter flights and other unplanned flights, is a shadow of its bustling past. Our ancient wonders hold infinite promise. Other than becoming economic goldmines for the country, these sites promote a greater global understanding of culture; they can unlock the vast potential in tourism and export the message of a shared heritage.

Research says that, developed in 2500 BCE, Mohenjodaro is as ancient as Egypt and Mesopotamia. As the Indus Valley Civilisation waned, Mohenjodaro’s dwellers moved out. R.D Banerji from the Archaeological Survey of India brought it back to life in the 1920s. But, so far, this country has failed it — excavation was halted in 1965 and revived in the 1980s — with no measures to curtail the damage from soil erosion, climate change and theft. Authorities should study the methods used by the Peruvian government to transform the Inca fortress of Machu Picchu, discovered in 1911, into tourism gold. Pakistan, a land with an enviable inheritance, deserves its own Luxor. It is the state’s foremost duty to leverage these riches as tourism attractions fitted out with hotels, public facilities, security and more. For this, alongside research and anthropological activity, the traffic at its airport should increase because Mohenjodaro is the citadel of education.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2025