KARACHI, June 20: The combined opposition in Sindh Assembly on Friday took exception to the remarks by a Punjab minister who had allegedly threatened to eliminate opponents of the greater Thal canal project.

Addressing a news conference in his chamber, leader of the opposition in the assembly Nisar Khuhro said that the highly provocative threat from the Minister for Irrigation, Aamir Sultan Cheema and another PML-Q MPA was a dangerous and deplorable development.

Mr Khuhro, who was flanked by Maulana Umar Sadiq of MMA and Syed Qaim Ali Shah of PPP, said the statment clearly reflected mentality of the regime which, he alleged, was adamant on denying the people of Sindh their just rights.

He said that the entire Sindh was in uprising against Thal canal project. He regretted that the Punjab minister, belonging to the PML-Q, had dubbed anti-canal people as those belonging to the Indian lobby and threatened them with fatal consequences.

Mr Khuhro said: “In view of such mindset, no one in this country is safe, especially those who ask for their rights.” He regretted that the provincial government had not taken any notice of such venomous declarations.

He said the resolution on the greater Thal canal project, which was tabled by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday, was an attempt to hoodwink the people of Sindh.

The mover, he said, had recalled the unanimously adopted Feb 28 resolution recommending the provincial government to approach the federal government for directive to Wapda for an immediate halt to the construction work on the project as the same was detrimental to the interest of Sindh. The PPP Parliamentarians had supported the resolution in principle, he added.

Mr Khuhro said that if the MQM was really against the project, then why had its members failed to submit cut motions in the National Assembly against allocations for the project in the federal budget.

The opposition leader accused the Sindh chief minister of working against the interest of Sindh and said that owing to this reason, he had tried to move a motion to censure the CM for ridiculing the collective wisdom of the assembly by issuing irresponsible and incorrect press statements regarding the project.

The assembly, he recalled, had passed a unanimous joint resolution against the construction of the canal. But, he regretted, the motion was shot down by the speaker whom he accused of being partisan.

Giving reasons for the opposition’s walkout, Mr Khuhro said that the budget was not based on the seven year old calculations of the NFC. He said that finance minister couldn’t get the allocations according to his own formula which he had presented as home minister. As a result, Sindh suffered a loss to the tune of Rs113 billion, he said and chided the government for failing to reconstitute the NFC.

Mr Khuhro said the walkout was also in protest against the insulting attitude of the ruling party and the speaker towards the opposition.

Maulana Umar Sadiq also maintained that the speaker’s role was partisan and remarked that he was losing his credibility. He said that every member was elected by the people but the speaker had continuously been ridiculing the opposition members.

Maulana Sadiq also deplored threats from the Punjab minister on Thal canal issue. He described the LFO as ‘a joke with the Constitution’.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah referred to the Article 6 of the Constitution which pertained to privileges and alleged that the speaker was siding with the government. He declared that the opposition would continue to expose his partisan role.