LARKANA, Sept 20: Pakistan People’s Party (Shaheed Bhutto group) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto has said the issue of construction of the Thal canal and the Kalabagh dam should be resolved in the Council of Common Interests.

Speaking at a public meeting in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto near here on Saturday to observe the seventh death anniversary of her husband, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, she said the CCI was the right forum to discuss the issue as it had equal representation form the provinces.

Terming the decision to construct the Kalabagh dam a political one, Ms Bhutto said President Gen Pervez Musharraf or Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had no right to take the decision alone.

She was of the opinion that misunderstandings could be removed by sitting in the CCI.

She said the forum should announce a uniform agriculture policy for the provinces which would help eliminate the impression that only Punjab was instrumental in making policies. She said this was also important for addressing apprehensions of the people of Sindh regarding the disputed water projects.

The PPP-SB leader did not believe that the country’s economy was strong, saying it was the political economy which could solve problems confronting the people.

She criticized both the government and the opposition for creating political crisis in the country and for not resolving the issue of the Legal Framework Order. She called for strengthening democracy in the country.

She said if the situation persisted the country would hold only elections and problems of the people would remain unresolved.

Ms Bhutto also flayed the government for not providing adequate relief to rain-affected people. She said the government always took refuge behind shortage of funds.

She said the government had also failed to improve the law and order situation.

Dr Ghulam Hussain, Dr Mubshar Hassan, Meenhan Khan, Ms Seema Rafiq and others also spoke on the occasion and paid tribute to Murtaza Bhutto.

RESOLUTIONS: The PPP-SB demanded that the work on the Thal canal should be stopped and the Kalabagh dam be shelved to lessen the sense of deprivation prevailing among the smaller provinces.