PESHAWAR, Aug 29: The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced to launch a nationwide anti-Kalabagh dam movement from September 14 and appealed to the international lending agencies not to fund construction of the controversial project.

“ Please do not finance the controversial project, otherwise, you will only regret your mistake,” said provincial chief of the ANP Begum Nasim Wali Khan while making an appeal to the IMF and the World Bank.

Pakistan, she added, could not execute the project with the help of its own resources, therefore, lending agencies would certainly be asked to provide the required funding.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Ms Khan, who returned from London a couple of days back, renewed her party’s standpoint against construction of a large dam at Kalabagh and pledged that in the presence of Pukhtun population the dam’s construction would not be allowed.

“We had supported General Musharraf’s seven-point agenda and not him when he took over as country’s chief executive in October 1999,  hence, we would not hesitate to go against him if he does anything harmful to the NWFP’s interests,” she said.

She said the project would prove damaging to five fertile districts of the central NWFP and was detrimental to the environment of the area.

“We would not accept it at any cost,” said Ms Khan, adding that “ we will not compromise our economic interest and will not hesitate to render any sacrifice to protect our land.”

Replying to a series of questions, she said President Pervez Musharraf’s  move to bring out this controversial issue after  shelving it two years ago, was no more than an attempt to divert attention of the masses from the real issues.

“By choosing to revive this dead issue, General Musharraf has actually selected to bring an end to his de facto rule,” remarked the ANP provincial chief.

The rule of several rulers in the past came to an end as soon as they tried to execute the disputed project, she added.

A country which was already plagued by numerous controversies and faced with challenges of unemployment, price-hike, deteriorating law and order and political situation, execution of the project would be a serious blow to its integrity, she said.

The intended move on the part of the federal government was meant to serve the interest of Punjab at the cost of three smaller provinces, Ms Khan said.

The country’s military and civil bureaucracy -  dominated by Punjab  - had always tried to protect the single largest province’s interest ignoring the other three federating units.

“There is no room for dialogue or making compromises after the elected legislature of the smaller provinces unanimously adopted resolutions against construction of Kalabagh dam, hence, a decision has been taken and cannot be changed even by force by any one,” she said.

Smaller provinces, she said, would not render any sacrifices to safeguard the economic interests of Punjab.

“Punjab has never sacrificed for smaller provinces; President Musharraf is totally wrong when he says that Punjab always sacrificed for Sindh,” she said, adding that “ the Punjab ruling elite never served the interest of smaller provinces and never played a positive role in the history of the country.”

It was, she added, because of Punjab that Pakistan lost its eastern wing.

The ANP, she added, had decided to launch an anti-Kalabagh dam movement for which support of all like-minded political parties would be sought.

In this respect, she said, the party would strive to formulate an “anti-Kalabagh dam front” in which political parties opposed to the execution of the project would be brought together to struggle jointly for a common cause.

A special committee of the party headed by the ANP’s senior leader Haji Ghulam  Ahmed Bilour would organize an anti-Kalabagh dam seminar in Peshawar on Sept 14 to formally launch the movement.