KARACHI: PPP decides upon new strategy on water plans
By Our Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 2: Pakistan People’s Party has decided to launch a fresh campaign against the Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh Dam projects under a changed strategy most probably from Oct 23 from Hyderabad. Its earlier strategy had failed to put the rulers on the defensive, sources said here on Thursday.
The new strategy was decided upon in a meeting of the party’s Sindh Council at which concern was expressed over the prevailing political and economic condition. Unflinching support for its exiled leader Benazir Bhutto was also expressed.
While the Sindh Council vowed to resist Gen Pervez Musharraf’s attempts to impose LFO and undertake the Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh projects, it was silent over the exiled leader’s recent offer of compromise to the president.
Participants were perturbed over Gen Musharraf’s frontal attack on the anti-Thal canal and Kalabagh platform and they decided to alter their strategy to “bring him to his knees.”
The meeting mainly focused on internal conflicts and on how to resolve them, but the official handout only stated that “organizational matters” had been discussed. The release did not mention the disputes in Jacobabad, Larkana, Khairpur, Sukkur and elsewhere.
There was also no reference to the grievances of the district- and ward-level cadres, though these were expected to play a key role in any mass mobilization. Some elements were not happy with the intrusion of the people who were known to be the followers of the nationalist parties that did not subscribe to the PPP’s ideals.
The meeting also decided upon a strategy for contesting the upcoming elections to the vacant local government seats in the province.
Speaking on the occasion, the PPP’s provincial chief Nisar Khuhro expressed his concern over the prevailing political, economic and security environment and claimed that the rulers were putting the country’s integrity at stake by deviating from the ideals of Quaid-i-Azam in an effort to perpetuate their unrepresentative regime.
He said the country had been created through, and for, democracy but regretted that the dictators had pushed it to the brink of disaster. LFO was part of a well thought out conspiracy to wipe out the 1973 constitution, he remarked.
Mr Khuhro vowed to defend the constitution and make every effort to stop LFO from becoming law. He also referred to what he termed ‘precarious economic situation’, owing to growing poverty, unemployment, ignorance and lack of health cover.
Mr Khuhro claimed that more than 40,0000 workers were unemployed, 4,000 industries of different categories had closed down and there was hardly any investment in the country.
He termed ‘misleading’ the government’s claims of all round progress and said increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves was not due to governmental efforts but due to the evolving international situation after 9/11 and to remittances from abroad.
The participants also expressed concern over the law and order situation, police excesses and partisan attitude of some functionaries. They also vowed to continue with an effective campaign for the return of the PPP’s exiled leader and decided to hold public rallies in this regard.
The PPP leaders were of the view that Ms Bhutto represented the aspirations of the 140 million people of Pakistan. The meeting also paid tribute to Asif Ali Zardari for courageously facing “manipulated charges” against him.
