30 January 2005	Sunday	19 Zilhaj 1425

MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 29: Muslim Conference president and AJK Assembly member Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan warned on Saturday that non-fulfilment of the promises made to the people of Mirpur by the federal government could drive them towards withdrawal of the support for Mangla dam upraising project.

"The attitude of the federal government suggests as if it is extending some sort of charity to the people of Mirpur, making it impossible for us to extend unconditional support to the project," he told Dawn by telephone.

"And if the situation persists, we can also go for withdrawal of our political and moral support and responsibility of its repercussions would lie on the shoulders of the concerned ministries and organizations of the federal government," added the MC chief, who also heads AJK's parliamentary committee on Mangla dam upraising issue.

The parliamentary committee held its meeting in Mirpur two days ago with Sardar Attique in the chair. It was attended among others by AJK health minister Chaudhry Masood Khalid, Ms Naheed Tariq, MC MLA, and former speaker Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, the main opposition People's Party MLA.

"Despite strong resistance and reservations by the people of Mirpur, we offered support to Wapda which enabled it to initiate the project. But there is no realization of that support because Wapda has so far badly failed to establish its trust among the people," Sardar Attique said.

"Let me make it clear that in future this support will not be available at the cost of the affected people. It will now be conditional to the initiation of steps as promised by the federal ministries and organizations," he said.

He recalled that the federal government had pledged a number of projects such as dry port, airport, a technical education institution, some bridges, provision of drinking water and development of new townships for district Mirpur, but ironically work on the dam upraising project had been kicked up without making any advancement to fulfil the other promises.

Sardar Attique said despite the announcement and directives of President Pervez Musharraf, work on the provision of Sui gas to the whole of Mirpur had been stopped. Instead, he added, the equipment was shifted from there to the constituency of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

"The authorities should immediately open their offices in Mirpur to accomplish the incomplete work," he demanded.

Wapda and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd., he said, should learn a lesson from Balochistan and Sindh and avoid treating AJK as their 'private estate.'

"On the one hand Nawab Akbar Bugti is not granting appointment to the federal government functionaries and on the other Mirpur is being handled as conquered land," the MC chief said.

He suggested that as a first step the federal ministers for Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas and petroleum and natural resources, Wapda chairman and other senior relevant officials should tour Mirpur to look into and immediately resolve the problems creating unrest among the people there.

He made it clear that there was a complete unanimity of approach on this issue among the ruling Muslim Conference, opposition People's Party and the affected persons.

Sardar Attique, it may be recalled, was welcomed with black flags in the town of Dadyal some time back for his categorical support to the Mangla dam upraising whereas contrarily the opposition People's Party has never hidden its disapproval of what it believes as a controversial project.

"I was the biggest supporter of the upraising project but the attitude of the concerned authorities in the federal government is driving me to the brink of disappointment," he said, urging the president and prime minister of Pakistan to intervene into the matter to "stop the situation from turning worst from bad".