HYDERABAD, July 2: The Sindh Water Committee (SWC), headed by the chief of Awami Tehrik, Rasool Bux Palejo, here on Monday released to the Press copies of ‘National Oath of the Sindh people’ on water issue.

Speaking at a news conference at his Prince Town residence, Mr Palejo, who was flanked by the SWC members, Abrar Kazi, Abdul Majeed Nizamani, Muzaffar Sadiq Bhatti, Nazeer Memon, Dr Dodo Mehri and others, said that the oath was drafted by the committee at its meeting held here recently.

He said that a signature campaign would be launched very soon.

Mr Palejo said that about 40 dignitaries in Sindh and some foreign countries had already endorsed the document.

The oath reads: “The ruling class of Pakistan, Punjab in particular, has wrongfully and viciously injured, damaged and virtually enslaved our homeland and Sindhi people and brought them to a state of death pangs. We consider it our sacred, historic, national, human, political, moral and spiritual duty to change this horrible condition of our homeland and its people.

“The Sindhi people have their historic lawful share in all the rivers of Pakistan including the Indus and the underground waters of Pakistan which are being looted and plundered step by step for the last one and a half century but this loot and plunder has increased after the creation of Pakistan with the result that the entire lower Sindh (Laar) stands ruined and the people of remaining Sindh are crying and demonstrating for water not only for crops but also for human beings and animals.

“In 1945, through the efforts of the then central Indian government, a fair and just basis for solving the Sindh-Punjab water dispute was mutually agreed upon in the form of the famous Sindh-Punjab agreement but the ruling class of Punjab unilaterally denounced the agreement and after the creation of Pakistan, Punjab broke all other agreements.

“Punjab is busy concocting conspiracies, schemes and projects for robbing Sindh of its due and just share from Pakistan’s water and maintaining its strangle hold in the name and under the cover of national welfare.

“During the last 50 years, majority of anti-Sindh water decisions have been taken ex-parte behind Sindh’s back. In 1948 and 1962-agreements with India, the majority of decisions regarding water works, viz. Mangla and Terbela dams, Cheshma-Jehlum and Taunsa-Panjnad and other canals and dams, are the examples of unjust and unilateral decisions through which the water rights of Sindh have been robbed.

“Recently greater Thal canal has been tyrannically imposed upon Indus and conspiracies to revive the nationally rejected Kalabagh dam are afoot once again.

The oath termed ‘traitors’ those who supported or would support to the adversaries (of signatories) and held that they were liable for punishment.

It said that the ‘unjust’ decisions against Sindh in the matter of water were based on immorality, lawlessness, violation of national and international law, Constitution, laws of humanity and human rights and thus should be rescinded and discarded.

It called upon every Sindhi, right from a councillor to the premier, to make all possible efforts for the rejection of the decisions.