Police beat protesters demanding water, arrest 90 people
U.S. Water News Online
KARACHI, Pakistan -- Police fired tear gas, beat demonstrators with iron-tipped sticks, and arrested at least 90 people in the restive port city of Karachi for protesting against an acute water shortage, witnesses said.
Protesters shouted slogans against the military rulers outside the heavily guarded Governor House in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province.
``Give us water'' and ``Military rulers -- stop injustice with Sindh,'' shouted the activists belonging to nationalist group Awami Tehrik, or Peoples' Movement. But dozens of policemen, in riot gear, dispersed them within a few minutes.
Pakistan has suffered a severe drought for the past few months because of lack of snow and rainfall this winter.
Sindh province, which needs river water for irrigation, has been the hardest hit because the once mighty river Indus has dried up at several places.
Awami Tehrik accuses the military-led government of depriving Sindh province its share in the country's water resources and favoring the populous Punjab province.
The government denies the charge and says that water is being equally distributed from the available resources.
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