HYDERABAD, June 11: The Anti-Greater Thal Canal Action Committee, formed here on Wednesday, gave a call for province- wide token hunger strikes and demonstrations from June 17 to 22 to protest against the construction of the disputed canal.

The action committee was formed at a meeting of the Sindh Water Committee (SWC) held here at the residence of Abrar Qazi, leader of the Awami Tehrik, and presided over by AT chief Rasool Bux Palijo.

People’s Party Parliamentarians leaders Nisar Khuhro and Taj Hyder, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party leader Muzaffar Kalhoro, Sindh National Front leader Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, PPP-SB leader Maula Bux Mashori and others attended the meeting.

The post of the convener of the action committee would be rotated every two month. Mr Khuhro is the first convener to be followed by an AT leader.

Members of the action committee include representatives of the PPP, SWC, AT, STPP, SNF, PPP-SB, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Jamaat Islami.

A steering committee, consisting two members of each component party, was also formed to look after functions of the action committee.

Members of the steering committee include MNA Asadullah Bhutto and Mumtaz Sehto of the JI, Mr Khuhro and Mr Hyder of the PPP, Mr Palijo and Nazeer Sheikh of the AT, Dr Qadir Magsi and Hyder Shahani of the STPP, Mr Jakhrani and another leader of the SNF and Abdul Majeed Nizamani and Mr Kazi of the SWC. Mr Kazi is the secretary of steering committee.

Briefing journalists about deliberations of the meeting, Mr Palijo said that the action committee had appealed to people of Sindh to observe token hunger strike on June 17 in every city and town of the province.

The main camp of the hunger strike will be established on the bed of the River Indus near here where the leaders of the action committee would observe a token hunger strike.