Canal projects: PTI holds ‘Salam Sindh Train March'
KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh held 'Salam Sindh Train March' from Karachi to Daharki, led by its provincial president Haleem Adil Sheikh, to commend the public and legal community for their defiance against contentious canal projects on the Indus River.
The journey, spanning over 30 cities, culminated in a public rally at Ghotki. Key stations on the route included Karachi Cantt Station, Drigh Road, Landhi, and several others, with attendees receiving enthusiastic receptions along the way. Prominent figures such as PTI Sindh General Secretary Dr Masroor Sial and Karachi President Raja Azhar were among the participants.
During the march, Haleem addressed gatherings, emphasizing the march as a mark of respect for those opposing the canal ventures. He accused the 'Zardari mafia' of attempting to misappropriate Sindh's water resources and labeled the canal projects as existential threats to the region's 60 million residents. He asserted that Sindh's agricultural vitality is crucial for Pakistan's economy and vowed to prevent any canal construction on the Indus River.
Haleem also highlighted the leadership of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, portraying him as a pivotal figure for navigating Pakistan through current challenges. He criticised the existing administration for undermining civil liberties and the judiciary, while also condemning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actions as 'water terrorism.'
Dr Masroor Sial remarked that the march signified unity and praised the public's role in halting the canal projects. Karachi PTI President Raja Azhar reiterated the mission to preserve Sindh's interests, emphasising the necessity of Imran Khan's leadership for the nation's progress.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
India disrupting Indus Water flows: Musadik Malik
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Musadik Malik accused India of using dams to disrupt the flow of the Indus River system reported Bloomberg on Tuesday. 'India is manipulating the flow of rivers that run into Pakistan by holding and releasing, holding and then flooding,' he was quoted as saying during an interview with Bloomberg. The minister added how India lacks the storage capacity to completely stop the water, noting that when the water was needed for crop sowing, 'it was not available' over the past month. He also said their neighbour was doing this 'to disturb crop patterns and the food security of Pakistan'. Following the April 22 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan's use, reported Reuters. About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India 'would take years to realise,' said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. There will be no compromise on water, says Bilawal Meanwhile, in the interview, Malik added, 'Because they don't have storage dams, they have not been able to materially affect us.' 'If they start to build storage dams, it would be deemed as an act of war,' he said.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
India pushes back 'foreigners' into Bangladesh, sparking human rights concerns
Police officers stand next to men they believe to be undocumented Bangladeshi nationals after they were detained during raids in Ahmedabad, India, April 26, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article India has started to push people it considers illegal immigrants into neighbouring Bangladesh, but human rights activists say authorities are arbitrarily throwing people out of the country. Since May, the northeastern Indian state of Assam has "pushed back" 303 people into Bangladesh out of 30,000 declared as foreigners by various tribunals over the years, a top official said this week. Such people in Assam are typically long-term residents with families and land in the state, which is home to tens of thousands of families tracing their roots to Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Activists say many of them and their families are often wrongly classified as foreigners in mainly Hindu India and are too poor to challenge tribunal judgements in higher courts. Some activists, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said only Muslims had been targeted in the expulsion drive. An Assam government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Assam, which has a 260 km (160 mile) border with Bangladesh, started sending back people last month who had been declared as foreigners by its Foreigners Tribunals. Such a move is politically popular in Assam, where Bengali language speakers with possible roots in Bangladesh compete for jobs and resources with local Assamese speakers. "There is pressure from the Supreme Court to act on the expulsion of foreigners," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told the state assembly on Monday. "We have pushed back 303 people. These pushbacks will be intensified. We have to be more active and proactive to save the state." He was referring to the Supreme Court asking Assam in February why it had not moved on deporting, opens new tab declared foreigners. Bangladesh's foreign affairs adviser, Touhid Hossain, did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. Last week, he told reporters that people were being sent to his country from India and that the government was in touch with New Delhi over it. Aman Wadud, an Assam-based lawyer who routinely fights citizenship cases and is now a member of the main opposition Congress party, said the government was "arbitrarily throwing people out of the country". "There is a lot of panic on the ground - more than ever before," he said. Some brought back Sarma said no genuine Indian citizens will be expelled. But he added that up to four of the people deported were brought back to India because appeals challenging their non-Indian status were being heard in court. One of them was Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old former government school teacher who was declared a foreigner by a tribunal in 2016. He spent two years in an Assam detention centre and was released on bail in August 2020. He said police picked him up on May 23 from his home and took him to a detention centre, from where he and 31 others were rounded up by Indian border guards and loaded into a van, blindfolded and hands tied. "Then, 14 of us were put onto another truck. We were taken to a spot along the border and pushed into Bangladesh," he said. "It was terrifying. I've never experienced anything like it. It was late at night. There was a straight road, and we all started walking along it." Islam said residents of a Bangladeshi village then called the Border Guard Bangladesh, who then pushed the group of 14 into the "no man's land between the two countries". "All day we stood there in the open field under the harsh sun," he said. Later, the group was taken to a Bangladesh guards camp while Islam's wife told police in Assam that as his case was still pending in court, he should be brought back. "After a few days, I was suddenly handed back to Indian police," he said. "That's how I made my way back home. I have no idea what happened to the others who were with me, or where they are." It is not only Assam that is acting against people deemed to be living illegally in the country. Police in the western city of Ahmedabad said they have identified more than 250 people "confirmed to be Bangladeshi immigrants living illegally here". "The process to deport them is in progress," said senior police officer Ajit Rajian.
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Budget 2025-26: Pakistan targets 4.2% growth as Aurangzeb presents proposals ‘for a competitive economy'
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced Pakistan's federal budget 2025-26 'for a competitive economy' on Tuesday, targeting a modest 4.2% growth for the coming fiscal year, compared to 2.7% expected in the outgoing FY25. The budget was announced, amid ruckus from the opposition lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with a total outlay of Rs17.6 trillion, down 7% or Rs1.3 trillion as compared to the Rs18.9 trillion budgeted outlay of FY25. The CPI inflation rate is budgeted to be around 7.5% in FY26, whereas the budget deficit is expected to be around 3.9% of the GDP, while the primary surplus is budgeted at 2.4% of the GDP. 'We are focused on economic stability and prosperity. We want an economy which is equitable and sustainable,' said Aurangzeb in his address. Talking about the outgoing fiscal, the minister said that the country achieved a surplus of around 2.4% of the GDP in FY25, whereas the CPI rate declined to 4.7%. 'We expect a current account surplus of around $1.5 billion this fiscal,' he said, adding that remittance inflows are expected to hit $37-38 billion in FY25. On taxation measures, Aurangzeb said that from July onwards, the tax filing process will be simplified. Aurangzeb, presents the federal budget for the second time as the coalition government seeks to revive the economy, meet the International Monetary Fund (IMF) benchmarks and provide some relief to the tax-weary masses. Mark-up Payments Of the total expenditure, Rs8.2 trillion has been allocated for mark-up payments, accounting for 47% of the total government expenditure. PSDP The federal government has allocated Rs1 trillion for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). FBR Tax Target The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is assigned to collect Rs14.13 trillion in FY26, up 19% as compared to Rs11.9 trillion revised estimates for FY25. The tax collection for FY26 includes Rs6.9 trillion in direct taxes and Rs7.2 trillion in indirect taxes. Defence budget shoots up Pakistan has allocated Rs2.55 trillion for defence in the incoming fiscal year, higher than Rs2.1 trillion, i.e. an increase of over 21% allocated in FY25. Talking about debt management, the finance minister reiterated that the preparation for the issuance of the first Panda Bonds is completed to penetrate the Chinese capital market. He added that the privatisation process of PIA and the Roosevelt Hotel will be completed in the incoming fiscal year. Finance Minister Aurangzeb, who is delivering his second budget speech in the National Assembly, will also lay the Finance Bill 2024 in the Senate on the same day, as required under Article 73 of the Constitution. Ahead of the budget address, the federal cabinet approved the budget proposals for the next fiscal year (2025-26). Addressing the federal cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan has now come into a take-off position as all economic indicators are satisfactory. 'After defeating India in a conventional war, now we have to surpass it in the economic field as well,' he added. Some areas of interest: GDP growth target External financing estimates Taxation on the salaried group PSDP size and focus Broadening the tax base Defence budget The budget comes a day after the government missed its GDP growth target of 3.6% in the outgoing fiscal year, posting a figure of 2.7%, as revealed in the Economic Survey 2024-25. However, Aurangzeb, during his press briefing while unveiling the Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24, highlighted a strong 4.8% rebound in industrial activity, pushing the economy's size to $411 billion for the first time and raising per capita income to $1,824.
