05 December 2004	Sunday	22 Shawwal 1425

JACOBABAD, Dec 4: Senate Chairman and Acting President Mohammedmian Soomro has said there is no political crisis in the country and every state institution is functioning within the ambit of the Constitution

Talking to journalists at the district nazim's office here on Saturday, he said the opposition parties' movement was not an indication of any political crisis; they were using their democratic right.

Mr Soomro said he had signed the uniform bill because he was constitutionally bound to do it because it had been passed by parliament which was a sovereign body.

He said the country needed reservoirs to meet the water crisis and added that the issue was technical in nature and not political and it should be addressed keeping in view national interest. He said location of dam played an important role in its construction, so it was expedient to construct it at that site.

He said if the country was to progress, it should be stable and viable.

The senate chairman said there was no place for fanaticism and extremism in the country as it was a peaceful state in the comity of nations.

Answering a question about recent developments in Balochistan, he said two committees, one led by Mushahid Hussain and the other by Waseem Sajjad, had been constituted which would submit their reports to the federal government.

He hoped that the issue would be amicably resolved in accordance with recommendations of the committees.

When asked about the local bodies' election, Mr Soomro said the National Reconstruction Bureau would decide whether the election would be held on party or non-party basis.

Referring to delay in completing a potable water scheme in Jacobabad, he said efforts were being made to expedite work on the project.

About the Kashmir issue, he said sincerity was needed on the part of India to resolve the core issue between the two countries. He said both countries had taken confidence- building measures to normalize relations and address all issues.

Earlier, the Senate chairman inaugurated a road in the Sabir Khoso village.