KARACHI, July 5: Sindh National Alliance (SNA) has demanded an immediate lifting of the long-imposed ban on recruitment in the province saying that it had been adding to the miseries of educated jobless youths.

The demand was made in one of the several resolutions adopted at a meeting of the SNA Council which was held at a local hotel on Saturday. President of the alliance Murtaza Jatoi chaired the meeting.

Provincial ministers Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, Arbab Rahim and Arif Jatoi, besides other members of the council, attended the meeting.

The resolution called for a relaxation of at least five years in the age limit of eligible candidates for government service.

While the meeting was in progress, the general secretary of SNA, Ghulam Nabi Morai, read out the resolutions to newsmen.

The resolutions condemned the elements behind the Quetta carnage and expressed shock, grief and anguish over the killing of such a big number of innocent people. The meeting termed it “a conspiracy against the country’ and demanded strict action against those involved in this act of terrorism.

Through the resolutions, the alliance called upon all foreign firms operating in the province, particularly those indulged in oil and gas exploration, to accord preference to local people in employment.

The meeting expressed concern over the construction of the Greater Thal Canal and pointed out that every resident in Sindh considered the project detrimental to the interests of Sindh. It called for an immediate halt to the work on this project and stressed that no such project should in future be implemented without a consensus among the provinces involved.

The SNA congratulated President Musharraf on his timely and successful foreign visit which, it said, was in the national interest.

The meeting also offered condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of a bus accident in Qubbo Saeed Khan, Larkana.

Replying to a question, after reading out the resolutions, Murtaza Jatoi said that the alliance had made its position on Thal Canal very clear and that the Sindh Assembly had already passed two resolutions in this regard with consensus for an immediate halt to the work on the project. The federal government should pay due attention to the stand, he added.

Responding to another questioner, Mr Jatoi clarified that the SNA had no objection on the allocation of portfolios to the coalition partners, but it had reservations over the complicated working procedure.

Mr Jatoi asserted that the assembly should be allowed to complete its tenure so that democratic traditions could flourish and take roots. He opposed a ‘change’ during the tenure but reiterated: “We should be prepared for any eventuality.”