QUETTA, March 4: Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan, chief of the Awami National Party, has asked President Pervez Musharraf choose either the Pakistan or Kalabagh Dam, as both cannot coexist.

Speaking at a public meeting held here on Friday to mark the sixth death anniversary of party leader Arbab Abdul Qadir Kasi, he said the Kalabagh dam was not acceptable to the people of smaller provinces and added that going ahead with the plan would cause irreparable loss to the country.

Acting provincial president of the party, Shakoor Kakar, chaired the meeting. Criticizing President Musharraf, Mr Asfandyar said that the military ruler was insisting on the dam to appease Punjab, disregarding the fact that its construction would endanger the solidarity of the country.

Mr Asfandyar said that Pakistan was a multi-ethnic state. Pukhtuns would not accept the domination of Punjab and would not recognize the rule of generals. He said that three provinces had adopted resolutions against the construction of the Kalabagh dam and the centre should respect their opinion.

He said Pakistan was facing a political crisis which was more serious than the 1971 crisis when the country lost its eastern wing due to wrong policies of military dictator Yahya Khan.

The ANP chief strongly advocated for the return of former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif and said that the army had no right to debar the leadership of the PPP and the PML-N from the country's politics.

He called upon liberal and democratic political groups to join hands to launch a united struggle to get the nation rid of military rule. He said it was due to the army's interference in political matters that Pakistan was faced with a political and constitutional crisis.

He said that 'usurpers' had denied rights to Pukhtuns, Balochs and Sindhis and added that exploiters were looting the resources of smaller provinces causing differences between the federation and the provinces. He also criticized the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leadership for backing the 17th constitutional amendment that had made parliament subservient to one man's rule.