THATTA, May 4: Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman has criticised what he termed discriminatory steps taken by President Gen Musharraf towards smaller provinces.

The government’s measures had created an atmosphere of uncertainty among the four provinces and warned that the divide-and-rule policy would result in the ouster of he government, he told newsmen at the residence of MPA Sassui Palijo here at Makli.

He said the rulers were bound to go due to their excesses including to a raid on the house of former Balochistan chief minister Akhtar Mengal and harassment to Mengal’s family in violation of the 1973 Constitution, killing of innocent people in Waziristan, forcible implementation of controversial water projects against the will of smaller provinces, inauguration of the Bhasha dam bypassing the consent of elected forums and the autocratic way of governance.

The recent statement of President Pervez Musharraf about decline in his public popularity graph was self-explanatory, Mr Makhdoom said.

He alleged that the Pakistan Water Council was representing the big province. Persistent non-release of water downstream Kotri in the River Indus had ruined Thatta and Badin population in particular.

Hundreds of fishermen families were compelled to migrate to urban areas; lawlessness had become the order of the day; police had failed to arrest the attackers of Ali Akbar Palijo, brother of Awami Tahreek chief, Rasool Bux Palijo, even after a passage of 15 days.