May 24, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
The situation in Moro has remained tense for several days, following a violent protest that took place against corporate farming and the construction of canals on the Indus River. So far, two people have lost their lives and several others have been injured in the clashes, while the Moro residence of Sindh’s Interior Minister, Ziaul Hassan Lanjhar, was also attacked and set alight, during the unrest.
Amid the ongoing tension, the body of the second deceased activist Irfan Leghari, who succumbed to his injuries after being shot during the protest, remains inside an ambulance, sources reported to Voicepk. His family has reportedly refused to accept the body from the police, citing the killing and arrest of several male relatives.
Sources have told Voicepk that activists opposing the canal construction and corporate farming projects have presented a set of demands, calling for the immediate release of all arrested protesters, withdrawal of all the FIRs lodged against them, and an end to the heavy police deployment across different areas. They are also demanding the resignations of the Inspector General (IG), Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar.
The protesters have warned that if the federal government proceeds with its plans for corporate farming and additional canal construction on the Indus River, demonstrations will intensify and spread across Sindh.
The death toll from the Moro anti-canal protest rose to two on Friday after 27-year-old Irfan Leghari, who was critically injured by alleged police firing during the demonstration, succumbed to his injuries at the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) in Hyderabad.
Leghari had sustained bullet wounds to the head and leg and had been on life support in the hospital’s neurosurgery ICU for four days. He was among several activists injured in the violent clashes that broke out in Moro town, Naushahro Feroze district, on May 20, when police reportedly used force to disperse a rally organised by the newly formed Sindhian National Congress (SNC).
The protest was held against the federal government’s proposed construction of six strategic canals and corporate farming initiatives. In the aftermath, police registered multiple FIRs in connection with the violence, including cases of attack and arson at the residence of Sindh’s Interior Minister.
The incident has sparked outrage across Sindh’s nationalist circles, further deepening the political and social fault lines already inflamed by a parallel incident: the arson attack on Sindh Interior Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar’s residence in Moro. Separate FIRs have been filed against dozens, including prominent leaders of the National People’s Party (NPP), Sindh Sabha, and a proscribed organization. The charges detail a violent mob assault involving automatic weapons, stones, and threats to staff at the minister’s home.
Police seize body amid tensions
As news of Irfan Leghari’s death spread, scores of SNC and nationalist party workers gathered outside Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) in Hyderabad. Reportedly, according to the police, the activists intended to take the body somewhere on the highway and block it by holding a demonstration.
It was feared that this might create a serious law and order situation.
Fearing highway blockades and potential unrest, police maintained heavy deployment around the hospital and mortuary. After hours of confrontation, baton charges, and failed attempts by activists to resist, police finally transported the body under strict security to Irfan’s native village, Leghari Bijarani, near Moro.
According to reports from Irfan’s native village, Leghari Bijarani, the police arrived with the ambulance carrying his body, where hundreds of women had already gathered.
Female relatives of Irfan refused to accept the body, stating that several male members of their family had been killed and others arrested. In protest, they demanded that the police bury the body themselves, and called for the immediate release of their detained family members.
Abdul Fatah Channa also revealed that Irfan’s teenage son has been in police custody since May 20.
Meanwhile, police rounded up several activists and human rights defenders including Fatah Channa, Mohib Azad, Sooriyah Sindhi, Sheeraz Mir, Rahul Choliani, and Kashish Khawaja. Although they were released hours later near Hatri Bypass, SNC leaders alleged that many more individuals remained in illegal custody.
In response, a sit-in was held at Hyderabad Bypass near Wadhu Wah Gate, led by SNC deputy chief organiser Sarang Joyo, son of renowned writer Taj Joyo. Protesters demanded the immediate release of all detained activists and an independent investigation into the Moro violence.
“Irfan’s death is not just another statistic,” Sarang Joyo told reporters. “This is state brutality hiding behind the mask of democracy.”
Political fallout
Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) President Ayaz Latif Palijo condemned the state’s use of force. “Snatching Irfan’s body and suppressing peaceful dissent is the worst form of dictatorship,” Palijo said that dictatorship was being seen in Sindh in the name of democracy where peaceful protestors were being killed.
With the SNC vowing to escalate its protests and civil society growing increasingly vocal, the crisis in Sindh appears far from over. As tensions mount and public outrage deepens, the provincial government faces mounting pressure to address demands for justice, accountability, and transparency.
In the face of grief, resistance, and political turmoil, Moro has become the epicenter of a broader movement challenging the future of land, livelihood, and democratic space in Sindh.