January 11, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 10, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 10: Leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro said on Tuesday that the regime and its coalition partners were playing game with the people to impose anti-people projects and policies and claimed that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s “short-lived” ultimatum was a drama.”

In a statement, Mr Khuhro said that the government’s intentions have been exposed as it has not yet provided the assembly members copies of various reports it had issued on water issue, although it had deferred the commencement of debate on the adjournment motion to Jan 19 on the pretext that the members required sufficient time to study these reports.

The opposition had requisitioned the session to discuss the issue after the previous session was abruptly prorogued to go through these report for a meaningful and substantive discussion.

He said that the government was not serious in tackling the issue in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Sindh and its major coalition partner in the province was playing dubious role.

Referring to MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s claim that Gen Msharraf had assured him that no controversial dam would be built without the consensus of the provinces and that military operation in Balochistan would be halted immediately, Mr. Khuhro asked that if it was true, the general should have announced this.

On the contrary, he pointed out the statements given by the prime minister and the information minister hint at just the opposite. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, he said, had termed it a “misunderstanding of an important coalition partner” that had been removed.

The information minister had talked about taking a decision in principle to construct the Kalabagh dam. He pointed out that in the past also at critical junctures the MQM had taken similar “dubious” stands which fizzled out almost immediately.

Mr Khuhro was of the view that MQM’s ultimatum was part of Gen Musharraf’s ploy to sidetrack the assemblies. He said that Gen Musharraf was allegedly undermining the elected institutions. In this context, he said that instead of constituting the Council of Common Interests, as announced by the Prime Minister, and waiting for its decision, the general was seeking approval of his anti-people projects from the corps commanders which amounted to humiliating constitutional institutions.