HYDERABAD, March 26: The People’s Party Parliamentarians has reiterated its opposition to the Kalabagh dam project and condemned demolition of old villages of Sindhis in Karachi and Hyderabad. The party’s Sindh chapter also condemned registration of what it called false cases against party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari, confiscation of Mr Zardari’s property and a murderous attack on party leader Ali Ahmad Sehto and his brother.

A joint meeting of the Sindh Council and information secretaries of the party was held at the residence of Qazi Asad Abid here on Sunday.

The meeting discussed the obtaining situation in the country.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, MNA Dr Fehmida Mirza said the country was in the grip of unprecedented crisis.

She said prices of consumer goods had risen manifold and lawlessness was beyond the control of the government.

She said the government was never tired of claiming that the country’s economy had been strengthened but ground realities were quite different.

She said Gen Pervez Musharraf had failed to arrest anarchy, price hike, unemployment and disharmony among the provinces.

She said the provinces had been deprived of their constitutional rights and Gen Musharraf was taking the country to a point of no return by raising the issue of the Kalabagh dam and launching army operations in Balochistan and Wana.

Dr Fehmida said that unless the law and order situation was improved and democracy was restored in letter and spirit, development would remain only a dream.

She said that without the return of what she called true leaders to the country, the crisis would continue to prevail in the country.

She said the PPP had come into power twice but it had not been allowed to work.

The PPP leader condemned demolition of ancient villages in Karachi and Hyderabad.

She said the PPP would raise the issue on the floor of the Sindh Assembly.

She said party chairperson Bhutto would soon return to the country whether she was granted permission or not.

Answering a question, she said the PPP would cooperate with all other groups and parties which stood for restoration of democracy.

She opposed the proposed ban on teachers’ associations.

MNA Ameer Ali Shah Jamote, Pir Amjad Shah Jilani and Zahid Bhurgari, Pir Mazharul Haq, Aftab Khanzado and Sarfaraz Rajar attended the meeting.