SINDH recently experienced upheaval in the form of weeks-long agitation and dharnas against the proposal to construct new canals on the already stressed Indus River System. The anticanals movement (ACM) was unique in many ways and deserves to be explored to understand the impact it may have left on politics in Sindh and the rest of the country.

The cause: The `protection` of the Indus has too many meanings in the context of Sindh. A great majority of indigenous people have had a spiritual and historical affinity with the river that has sustained livelihoods, identities, settlements, demography and culture. For the environmentalist, the Indus is the preserver of the ecology the delta, marine life, the coastal lands and communities. For the constitutionalists, the executive fiats threatening the due share of Sindh, the lower riparian, violate the constitutional architecture that provides for the distribution of powers and resources, including water, within the federation.

And finally, for the nationalists and proponents of provincial autonomy, the proposed diversion of water from the Indus River System in the name of corporate farming posed a grave threat to Sindh`s security and integrity. Thus, the river is a point of convergence for varied, even rival, forces on a single agenda saving the Indus.

The leadership: An amazing feature of this mass movement was its spontaneity. Though various political parties, particularly nationalists, lawyers and civil society, played a significant role in marshalling the ACM, a great majority of the people took to the streets on their own, without being galvanised or guided by a central leadership. In fact, the lack of a tightly organised structure proved helpful. Various individuals and groups resorted to their own ways and means to register their protest, adding exceptionally diversified colour and synergy to the mix. For instance, the unbearable heat and suffocating clouds of dust that enveloped the protest venues were made tolerable, and, even enjoyable, by artists, poets, singers, musicians and comedians, who gave the otherwise sombre and tense ambience a festive look.

The participants: It was truly a `people`s movement`. Among the people were a sizeable number of women, including young girls, who not only participated but also, in many instances, led the movement. The common cause of saving a riverthat was crucial to both the cities and villages brought out people from all over the province, including the metropolis. Besides all the opposition parties, there were media persons, doctors` bodies, labour unions, peasant communes, intellectuals, writers, students, academia and even children. In fact, the movement also proved successful because it embodied a host of public grievances. The large crowds and conference halls provided various groups and individuals an opportunity to vent their grievances. Thus the lawyers raised their voice against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, media persons railed against Peca, urban civil society decried the increasing authoritarianism and violence in the country, and farmers, students and the rural intelligentsia fulminated against neo-feudalisation, bad governance, joblessness, poor services and lack of security in the province. Religious minorities also joined the movement. Among them were relatives andfriends of Priya Kumari, a Hindu girl who has been missing for many years, with the government failing to recover her.

The means: Another striking feature of the ACM was its peaceful character. It went on for many weeks. Large crowds of people vociferously registered their anger against the provincialand federal governments. Even President Asif Zardari was castigated for `approving` the canals. Yet, no incident of violence or vandalism occurred. True, commuters and transporters did face hardships and financial losses. The economy also suffered enormously due to the disruption of inter-city and inter-provincial traffic. But it was the studied indifference of the federal government, and the `double game` played by the provincial government, which had heightened tempers, forcing the lawyers to throng the highways. While, the federal government `waited out` the ACM for many weeks, expecting it to die down, the provincialgovernment somersaulted and joined the protest against its coalition partner. Neither government showed any seriousness or urgency to break the impasse. The matter was taken to the relevant constitutional forum the Council of Common Interests where it was swiftly resolved, only when the country had become practically disjointed by the prolonged dharnas on interprovincial junctions.

Civic cooperation: Perhaps the most startling feature of the ACM was the overwhelming support it received from the people. In fact, Babarloi, the principal site of the dharna, near Khairpur, presented a novel model of communitarianism or civic cooperation. Local communities and people coming from all over the province set new records of generosity. Thousands of protesters received free food, water, refreshments, lodgings and even logistics. I must mention this exceptionally generous person Papu Khan Mahar who daily served around 50,000 bottles of mineral water, tea and biscuits to thousands of people at Babarloi.

Moreover, the local communities protected the thousands of stranded trucks and trailers that lined the national highway. Not a single instance of looting was reported. In fact, many drivers were taken care of by the local villagers. Surprisingly, during the ACM, the number of crimes considerably dropped, even in those rural areas which are otherwise known for lawlessness.

Thankfully, the canals issue has been `resolved`, at least for the present, though the federal government has yet to disclose the source of irrigation for its planned large-scale corporate farming project. But the ACM is certainly a triumph of the political process that, in the end, recognised the legitimacy of the cause espoused by the people of Sindh. It is also a good omen for the province`s stagnant polity. A new coalition of forces lawyers, civil society, political workers, students, farmers, the media, artists, etc has emerged to fill the void created by the prevailing `one-party` system in the province. It is too soon to predict an imminent change as a result of the ACM, but the winds are surely drifting away from the oligarchy that has long ruled the province, if not the entire country. • The wnter is a lawyer shahabusto@ hotmail.com