KARACHI, April 30: The Sindh Qaumi Ittehad (SQI) has given a call for complete strike on May 9 against the construction of Bhasha Dam and urged the people of the province to close down their shops and businesses. Describing the government’s April 26 decision against the interests of Sindh, it said the decision would be remembered as the most unjust one in the history of the province.

The principal committee of the SQI held a meeting here on Sunday under the chairmanship of Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto and was attended by the leaders of the component parties and intellectuals including Dr Qadir Magsi, Abdul Khalique Junejo, Ibrahim Boyio, Husain Bakhsh Thebo, Gul Mohammad Jakrani, Ali Hasan Chandio, Hashim Khosu Nazir Memon, Inayat Khatian and others.

The meeting discussed the situation arising out after the announcement of Bhasha Dam by President Musharraf in the context of Sindh. It expressed the view that the objective of announcement of such anti-Sindh project was meant to create anarchy in the country which already had been going through a critical phase due to massive unemployment, backwardness, poverty, corruption and price-hike. Because of this situation, the president had to admit that his popularity graph had been reduced in the country.

The SQI leaders maintained that Sindh had already been facing an acute water shortage problem because of Taunsa, Chashma and Mangla dams because Punjab was being provided the share of Sindh through these rivers from Indus.