By Our Staff Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Veteran politician and chief of the Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) Rasool Bux Palijo has urged the federal government to come clean about the controversial Kalabagh dam project and announce its permanent abolition.

He told journalists at a press conference at Palijo House on Friday that once again attempts were being made to resurrect the controversial water project which had been repeatedly rejected by three provincial assemblies and millions of people of three provinces.

He quoted federal minister for water Khwaja Asif as saying that seven projects including the Kalabagh dam, Akhori dam and others were under consideration and as soon as a decision was made, construction of the Kalabagh dam would start.

Mr Palijo said that preparations were being made to impose the project on Sindh and said that if the Kalabagh dam or any other dam or canal was built to stop Sindh’s water it would be tantamount to genocide of Sindhis.

He appealed to all countrymen to play their role to eliminate the controversial project and said that without approval and permission of Sindh, no new projects should be built on any river of the country and the projects already built should be dismantled.

He said that the QAT would stage protests and hunger strikes against the controversial project in all towns of the province.

If the Pakistan Peoples Party had been sincere with the people of Sindh it could have buried the project forever when it had been in the federal government but it purposely kept it alive to keep blackmailing the people of Sindh, he remarked.

QAT senior vice president Abdul Qadir Ranto, general secretary Anwar Soomro and other leaders were also present at the press conference.

Published in Dawn, October 17th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play