SUKKUR, Aug 3: Sindh Minister for Population Welfare Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh has proposed that the Indus River System Authority should be made more representative by inducting politicians into it to ensure judicious distribution of the river’s water.

He said this while addressing newsmen at a meet the press programme on Sunday.

He said Sindh’s main problem was water and the whole of Sindh had opposed the Thal canal.

He said the matter was now in the court of the Federal and Punjab governments. He hoped that they would consider Sindh’s opinion.

He said that dialogue over the Thal canal was the best solution rather than confrontation and agitation over it.

Mr Imtiaz said that a high level conference to review the Thal Canal issue was scheduled to be held as soon as the relief work was over, and added that all the governors and chief ministers of the provinces as well as irrigation experts would participate in it.

He said that many lives had been lost in Badin as a result of the breach in the LBOD and a high level enquiry would soon be held regarding it.

He said sewerage systems had collapsed all over Sindh province as a result of the rains, and added that priority be given to fixing the sewerage systems before constructing roads, otherwise the roads would be damaged again.

He called for appointing a relief commission in Sindh to deal with relief matters on a permanent basis.

He said time has come for dealing with the basic problems of Sindh, including the water problem, as the people of Sindh were passing through difficult times.

Referring to government-MMA talks, Mr Imtiaz called upon the MMA leadership to show flexibility vis-a-vis the LFO.

He said if the talks failed this time, they would seriously jeopardize the future of democracy in Pakistan.

He said political parties should extend support to the government and they could achieve their objectives through a give and take approach.

He said he had no differences with the Sindh chief minister.