PESHAWAR, Dec 22: The Awami National Party has reiterated its opposition to the construction of the Kalabagh dam and has asked party workers to participate in the anti-Kalabagh dam rally to be held on Dec 29. In this connection, the Nowshera district chapter of the party met on Thursday and formed several committees to make arrangements for the rally, said a party press release here.
Speaking on the occasion, ANP provincial secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that district Nowshera would play a central role in the rally.
He said that invitation had been extended to other parties to participate in the rally to thwart what he called President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s attempts to destroy fertile lands.
The rally would prove that the people don’t accept the Kalabagh dam because it was a project aimed at the destruction of the people of smaller provinces at the cost of Punjab.
ANP FATA: The ANP Fata chapter also held a meeting at the Bacha Khan Markaz on Thursday which pledged to ensure maximum participation in the rally.
The meeting was attended by presidents and general secretaries of Fata’s units and provincial party chief Bashir Ahmad Bilour. It was presided over by the party’s provincial vice-president Imran Afridi.
It said that the party had decided to demonstrate on Dec 29 to show its opposition to the Kalabagh dam.
Imran Afridi said that the time had come that party workers came out into the streets and opposed the construction of the Kalabagh dam.
He said that party workers were ready to render any sort of sacrifice to prevent the rulers from playing havoc with their lives.
ANP NWFP president Bashir Bilour said that a huge procession would march towards Nowshera on the scheduled day to take part in the rally.
ANP COMMITTEE: The Anti-Kalabagh Committee of the ANP launched a campaign to gain the support of other parties for participation in the rally.
In this connection, the committee’s chairman, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, along with its members, Abdul Latif Afridi, Pir Fayyaz Ahmad and Hameedur Rehman, held a meeting with Mukhtiar Ahmad Khan provincial chief of the Pakhtun Milli Awami Party (PMAP) and requested for his party’s support for taking part in the rally.
PMAP’s provincial chief assured his party’s fullest support for the rally.
Committee members also held a meeting with Sabir Shah, provincial chief of the PML-Nawaz.
The PML leader informed the committee that they would decide about participating in the rally in a PML meeting which would be held on Dec 25.
The committee’s chairman urged the participation of all political parties in the rally, saying it was a national issue and all parties should fulfil its national responsibilities in this regard.
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