09 February 2004	Monday	17 Zilhaj 1424

HYDERABAD, Feb 8: Activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz will observe hunger strike unto death against the Kalabagh dam and greater Thal canal projects outside the Karachi Press Club on Feb 11.

This was announced by the party chairman, Bashir Qureshi at a news conference here on Sunday. He said in the first phase, one leader and their five workers would observe hunger strike unto death and in case they were arrested or left to starve to death, other workers would replace them.

He said the hunger strike would not be called off unless the rulers categorically declared that the controversial projects had been abandoned. He said thousands of party workers had volunteered for hunger strike unto death.

Replying to a question, he said if the Sindh government or the Karachi administration did not allow the workers to observe hunger strike outside the press club, then they would observe hunger strike outside the Sindh Assembly or some other place.

He said the Muttehida Qaumi Movement had been varbally asked to join the hunger strike and its leadership would be formally invited to join the protest. He said if the MQM remained aloof at such a critical juncture then Sindh would also turn away from them.

He expressed the hope that MQM chief Altaf Hussain would also observe hunger strike in London on this issue which was a matter of life and death for Sindh.

He said if the MQM did not respond to the strike call, the JSQM would also have to think over the alliance between the two parties. Mr Qureshi said Sindh was left with no other option but observe hunger strike unto death to draw the attention of the world to the exclusive ownership of the Sindhis over the Indus River.

He said the entire Sindh had risen against the greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam and Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan assemblies had also rejected these water projects, but only one province was adamant for the construction of these projects.

The JSQM leader made it clear that hunger strike unto death would not be called off on any verbal assurance by the Sindh governor or anyone else. When his attention was drawn to the MQM demand for issuing national identitity cards to the stranded Pakistanis, he said that he did not acknowledge those as Sindhis who had entered Sindh after the Liaquat-Nehru Pact under which cross border migration was banned.

He said he would not support issuance of the CNICs to such persons. Dr Niaz Kalani and other party leaders were also present.