Islamabad, April 21 : A large number of protestors blocked Railway traffic near Khairpur city in Pakistan's Sindh province, cutting off all routes towards the Punjab province, as part of their ongoing demonstration against the government's plans to build at least six new canals on the Indus River.

The Pakistani government's Cholistan project to irrigate South Punjab's lands has triggered nationwide protests by political parties, including its coalition partner, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which has expressed strong reservations against the project and warned of toppling the Shehbaz Sharif government if the proposed project is not cancelled.

On Sunday, a large number of protestors and activists from some nationalist parties extended their ongoing protest and blocked train traffic near Khairpur city.

Protestors and political party leaders in Sindh province have been staging massive public gatherings and protest sit-ins and slamming the Shehbaz Sharif government, along with its coalition partners PPP, for what they call a conspiracy to turn Sindh's fertile land into a desert.

The nationwide protests against the canals project were also supported by the lawyers' community, who staged their sit-in protest, in the Sindh province for the third consecutive day.

In the latest protest, the train tracks were later restored after being blocked for several hours by the protestors. However, the protests and ongoing rallies against the project have paralysed the whole province.

Shutter down protests have been reported in major cities and town including Jamshoro, Larkana, Naushehro Feroz, Sujawal, Nawabshah, and Ghotki. The protests have disrupted traffic between Sindh and Punjab province as roads and the National Highway has been blocked at several places.

"In Larkana, shopkeepers, petrol pumps, and markets remained closed, while business activities have come to a complete halt in Ratodero, Baqrani, Dokri and Badah. Commercial activities in Jamshoro and Nawabshah are suspended, while similar reports are coming from Sujawal, Kandhkot, Shahdadkot, Kashmore, and other districts where markets and other public services have been shut down," said Hanif Shamon, a resident of Mithi, Tharparker district of Sindh.

"People believe that this is the biggest agitation in the history of Sindh. All roads leading to Punjab and other regions have been blocked for the past three days due to protest sit-ins against irrigation canals. Massive protests have erupted in most parts of Sindh," he added.