The leadership of Sinddh's legal fraternity announced on Monday that they would widen the scope of their protest by blocking alternative routes leading to Punjab. The announcement was made at a news conference held at the protest site at the Babarloi bypass on Monday evening. Addressing the news conference, President Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Amir Nawaz Waraich said, "Following the federal government's non-serious attitude towards the issue of six canals, we are extending the range of our protest by staging sit-ins at Kamoo Saeed Khan and Kashmore More. Besides that, we shall also hold a sit-in at the Karachi Press Club until the government issues a notification shelving the flawed project". During the protest, the court proceedings across Sindh shall remain suspended, he announced.
Waraich also demanded that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) separate itself from the federal government within 72 hours, adding that they were discussing different options to further strengthen the protest campaign. Flanked by President Hyderabad District Bar Association Ashar Khokhar, G.S. Babar Memon, President Sindh High Court Bar Association Sarfaraz Mitlo, and Rehman Kureishi, Waraich emphasised that people across the province were standing in solidarity with the legal fraternity due to their understanding of the importance of the Indus River.
A committee, Waraich said, had been formed to engage with the government if they wished to hold talks. "We shall not end the protest until the scheme is scrapped," Waraich reiterated, warning that they would block railway lines if the government continued with its "atrocity." Regarding future strategies, he mentioned that a joint conference would be held on Thursday to chart out the next steps. "We will take stern action if our demand to abandon the scheme is not met," Waraich added.
Responding to a query, Waraich said that teachers, doctors, and traders were also in contact with them and supporting their stance on the Indus River issue.
Meanwhile, the extraordinary hospitality, warmth, and generosity of the local public towards the protesters have garnered attention from the national media. People are showing their support by serving cold drinks, water, and food, as well as providing accommodation to the protesters. Since Sunday, political leaders, civil society members, artists, and doctors have been joining the lawyers at the Babarloi bypass protest against the construction of six canals on the Indus River.