KARACHI, Jan 22: The Sindhi Association of North America (Sana) has condemned the elements who dubbed Sindh anti-development for opposing the destruction of what rightfully belongs to it.
In an Email message, President Sana Mr Aziz Narejo, referring to the sale of two islands off Karachi’s coast, said Sindh’s land, air, resources, soul, culture and even its heritage was being sold.”
He appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to intervene immediately and stop the usurpation of all that belongs to the province. They should act immediately or else the people will not be to blame if they start looking at other options.
Vested interests he said had created a myth that the people of Sindh and Balochistan were anti-development.
This was based on Sindh’s opposition to mega water projects and Balochistan’s concerns on the under-construction Gwadar port.
Instead of finding why this was so, both provinces were ridiculed and condemned.
He pointed out that an unrepresentative Sindh regime was forced to sign the 1991 Water Accord. Today even that agreement was not being honoured.
The people know under what agreements and promise the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad canals were built and how these agreements and promises have been trashed. He reminded even the British administrators rejected the Greater Thal Canal project.
Today a government in utter disrespect to the wishes of the lower riparian is building the same project! When there is already a huge water shortage in the Indus River System, where would the water come from for the canal?
Sindh is justified in its opposition, as it knows who would suffer. Its agriculture and environment has already suffered immensely and hundreds of thousands of people had lost their livelihood.
Any more losses will be a catastrophe, he added.He said even the NFC was a joke. He said the provincial governments and the federal authorities instead of seeking 80 per cent share for their 97 per cent population, the provinces are nowhere near presenting their case properly!
It seems a pre-arranged affair where the people would suffer and the federal government, its agencies and a few powerful lobbies would be the beneficiaries.
