PESHAWAR, Aug 30: The opposition groups, on Saturday staged a walkout against what they called the stubbornness of Gen Pervez Musharraf on the dead issue of the Kalabagh dam at a time when the democratic forces were struggling against the Legal Framework Order (LFO) in and outside parliament.

The treasury benches also opposed the construction of the dam and termed it an untimely move to divide the political forces on a controversial issue. It also aimed at diverting their attention from the LFO and other undemocratic measures being taken by the government, the members added.

The lawmakers also took a strong notice of the Punjab police’s contemptible attitude with NWFP minister Hafiz Hashmat Ali a week ago at the Attock checkpost. The police made a physical search of the minister and the policemen tried to intimidate him.

The session, presided over by Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan, started two hours late.

Speaking on a point of order, Abdul Akbar Khan of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians criticized President Musharraf for making statements on an issue rejected by three provinces. The NWFP Assembly had adopted three unanimous resolutions against the construction of dam and termed it as destroying Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and Swabi districts, he added.

Mr Khan said it had been an earnest demand of the opposition that all the resolutions adopted by this House against the construction of the Kalabagh dam, early return of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, unconditional release of Asif Ali Zardari and the payment of dues to the province, should be honoured.

He claimed that Gen Musharraf was causing a great damage to the federation by fanning hatred through his statements among the federating units. On the one hand, rulers were trying to destroy them in the dam, on the other they were not paying net hydel profit to the province, he added.

Endorsing the views of his fellow lawmaker, Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao of the PPP (S), he said his party was opposed to the dam and considered it a disaster for the province.

He said his party chairman and Federal Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao had endorsed a resolution against the dam during his tenure and he was still opposed to the project.

Mr Bashir Ahmed Bilour vowed that his party would never allow the construction of this dam at the cost of Pashtun people. He wondered that how a government which had restrained relations with its neighbouring countries, was trying to divide people.

He said this dam would cause irreparable loss to Balochistan and Sindh and a damage to NWFP by turning its millions of fertile acres into marshes. Mr Bilour after his brief speech, walked out of the House along with the other opposition members.

Senior minister Sirajul Haq, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Malik Zafar Azam and Minister for Local Government Sardar Mohammad Idrees also opposed the construction of Kalabagh dam for the pleasure of a handful of landlords from the Punjab.

They said that Gen Musharraf had raised this issue to hoodwink the political forces struggling for the supremacy of parliament and restoration of the Constitution in its original form. The LFO and the uniform issues were unacceptable to the nation, but Gen Musharraf was adamant to stay in uniform under the LFO umbrella, they observed.

They said under the LFO, even NWFP government could not make an amendment into the local government laws. The resurrection of the dam issue was nothing more than dividing the democratic forces on ethnic and parochial lines, they added.