Convoy of Pak President's daughter blocked amid canal project protests in Sindh

Pakistan's Member of the Assembly Aseefa Bhutto Zardari faced violent protests while her convoy was passing through the Jamshoro toll plaza in Sindh province on Friday, local media reported. Several protesters have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The cavalcade of Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari, was blocked and attacked by Sindh nationalists while she was en route from Kotri to Nawabshah in Sindh. Aseefa, along with a World Bank delegation, visited different areas affected by recent floods.

On their way back, a bunch of angry demonstrators blocked Aseefa's convoy and raised slogans against a controversial canal project and corporate farming initiatives in the state, Pakistani media reported, quoting sources.

In a video of the incident, protestors could be seen striking the vehicles in Aseefa Zardari's convoy with their hands and batons, prompting local security agencies to swiftly swing into action and keep the MNA out of harm's way.

The convoy was halted for less than a minute as Aseefa Zardari managed to escape unhurt, SSP Jamshoro Zafar Siddiq said, and promised stern action against the miscreants.

The incident came against the backdrop of the ongoing protests in Sindh against corporate farming and the construction of canals in Punjab, as protesters allege that this is an attempt to divert the river Sindh.

Recently, two people were killed as police opened fire on protesters, angering the people, which resulted in violent protests, the report added.

This came as Sindh protesters attacked the house of a minister belonging to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), blaming Punjab's domination for their water woes.

Sindh and Punjab are two of Pakistan's four provinces. Inhabitants of Sindh have held Punjab, which is the power centre of both the civilian and military establishments, responsible for putting it lower on the priority list.