LARKANA: The Jeay Sindh Rehbar Committee has announced a “Sindh Unity March” in Larkana on Thursday, 15 October, against the federal government’s plan to create new provinces. Committee chief Riaz Chandio made the announcement at a press conference in Larkana on Monday, as reported by Dawn. The Sindh Unity March Larkana will bring together four Sindhi nationalist parties, and Chandio said it also opposes what he called the “seizure of Sindh’s resources”.
Why the Sindh Unity March Larkana is being held
Chandio said the march responds to a widespread fear in nationalist circles that Sindh will be broken into several administrative units, which he said would entrench a “colonial system” designed to seize Sindh’s water, coal and other resources. He described Sindh as a “historical homeland” rather than an administrative unit.
Water dispute at the heart of the march
Chandio alleged that Punjab was occupying the Indus River illegally while dams were being expanded as part of a strategic push. He said Sindh was not receiving its fair share under the 1945 and 1991 Water Apportionment Accords. According to him, the 1991 Accord required 10 million acre-feet of water to be released downstream of Kotri, while an international environmental agency recommends 25 MAF to save what he called the world’s eighth-largest delta. He said the delta had been destroyed and claimed six million acres of land in Thatta and Badin districts had been eaten away by the sea. These figures are his allegations; Dawn reported no independent verification.
“They are afraid of the masses”, says Chandio
Chandio deplored the imposition of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the enforcement of Section 144 across Sindh. “They have been ordered not to leave their homes,” he said. “This shows they [the rulers] are afraid of the masses.”
He criticised the Sindh home department for imposing Section 144, saying the PPP government had effectively imposed martial-law-style provisions and was pursuing acts of dictatorship.
His remarks came as Sindh’s month-long ban on rallies entered its second day. The Sindh United Party separately condemned the rally ban on Tuesday, with leader Syed Zain Shah telling lawyers in Sukkur that it violates fundamental constitutional principles.
Warning over blocked routes
Chandio condemned the police for blocking the rally route of SUP leader Zain Shah on Sunday. He warned that obstructing the march in the same way would lead participants to block the Indus and National highways. Questions over police conduct have surfaced in other cases too, and the Mir Raza family has demanded an independent JIT inquiry report in a separate case.
Chandio’s attack on the PPP and Punjab
Chandio alleged the PPP was a tool of Punjab and the establishment, recalling that it had toppled the Balochistan government of Sardar Attaullah Mengal, dismissed the NWFP government of Mufti Mahmood through the National Awami Party, and sided with Gen Yahya Khan to undermine Shaikh Mujeebur Rahman’s six-point plan for a civilian federation.
He said Sindh was gripped by drought with a collapsing economy, its agriculture sector destroyed and its people deprived of education, healthcare, employment and food. For households feeling that squeeze, the Sindh High Court has barred private schools from collecting lump-sum summer fees. He also alleged that Sindh’s electricity, coal and gas were being taken to Punjab, saying around 100,000 acres at Gorakh Hills had been seized under the “Green Pakistan” project in the name of tourism. His remarks on lawlessness came as police credibility faced questions of its own after 52 tolas of gold went missing from a police station in Benazirabad.
The wider new-provinces debate
The march is the latest sign of organised resistance to the new-provinces proposal. Sindhi nationalist parties argue that the federation has no mandate to redraw Sindh’s boundaries. These remain contested claims, and Feature Pakistan could not independently verify the figures cited by Chandio on water flows, land loss and resource transfers.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the Sindh Unity March being held?
The march will take place in Larkana on Thursday, 15 October 2026, announced by committee chief Riaz Chandio at a press conference on Monday.
Which parties make up the Jeay Sindh Rehbar Committee?
The committee is an alliance of four Sindhi nationalist parties, headed by Riaz Chandio, who also chairs the Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz (JSM-R).
What does the committee want?
It opposes the federal plan to create new provinces, which it says would divide Sindh, and demands an end to what it calls the seizure of Sindh’s water, gas, coal and electricity.
Will the march go ahead if Section 144 remains in force?
Chandio did not say the march would be called off. He warned that any attempt to block it would be answered by blocking the Indus and National highways, though the Sindh government has banned public gatherings under Section 144 until 12 November.
