KARACHI, July 16: Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday that the Greater Thal Canal project was a conspiracy of the Establishment to divide and rule the people of Pakistan.

Talking to newsmen after the adjournment of the hearing in Mir Murtaza Bhutto case.

He said the name of the Greater Thal Canal should have been the generals’ canal because it was meant to irrigate the lands allotted to them and not the poor people of Punjab.

He claimed it was a “purposeful exercise of the Establishment to deprive Sindh of its water because the average Punjabi is not willing to steal Sindh’s water.”

He emphasized that the project had nevertheless exacerbated the process of alienation. He said that because of such projects, vast areas of Sindh were becoming barren and civilization was being affected adversely owing to the march of desert and rush of the sea.

He was of the view that the project was being executed to provide water to the lands owned by senior military officials.

He refuted the criticism of the alleged contradictions in the stands of the PPP’s Punjab and Sindh chapters on the issue and said it was “untrue” and added that Punjab is the province of large-hearted people

He said it was a propaganda of the Establishment which today does not belong to Punjab.

Commenting on political developments, Mr Zardari was all praise for Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s visit to India and said it was a reflection of his “far-sightedness.”

He said one of the major developments was the Saudi decision to partially withdraw the concession it had given to Pakistan for procuring oil free of cost under the head of deferred payment.

“It is a very big disappointment and failure of our foreign policy,” he said, adding it was an indicator of things to come owing to the General’s policy.

Mr Zardari termed Gen Musharraf’s recent Camp David visit a ”failure” and said the deplorable terrorist attack in Quetta, relations with Afghanistan, Iran and other neighbours also reflected Pakistan’s growing isolation and failure of its foreign policy.

He said that since 9/11, the world had transformed and Pakistan will have to be very cautious.

He emphasized that the military should step down in favour of a politician and should play the role of a referee instead of being involved in politicking.

Replying to a question, he said the general would also go if the parliamentary democratic dispensation was scrapped to satisfy his whims.

Mr Zardari alleged that he had been politically victimized. In this context, he referred to Murtaza Bhutto murder case and said “they killed a Bhutto to get a Bhutto”.

He said for more than two-and-a-half years the trial of Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case could not proceed because the court’s orders were not complied with. All of a sudden they have now acted to comply with it.

When asked to comment on reports of a possible reshuffle in the party hierarchy, Mr Zardari said he was not in a position to say anything as he was not aware of all the developments. Moreover, he added, at the moment he held no party position.

CHILDREN ALLOWED: Judicial magistrate, South, Syeda Parveen Shah on Wednesday permitted Bilawal and Bakhtawar to remain with their interned father, Asif Ali Zardari, in the sub-jail at Dr Ziauddin Hospital at Clifton for 15 days from today.