HYDERABAD: The Sindh Progressive Committee (SPC) has demanded PIA chief Arshad Malik resign over the plane crash and said political interference has ruined all institutions and taken a heavy toll on their performance.

The committee, an alliance of like-minded parties, that held a meeting through video link on Saturday deplored the fact that institutions had been destroyed so that a pretext could be created to hand them over to private sector at throwaway price.

The meeting chaired by Abdul Khaliq Junejo called for inquiry into the plane crash and termed federal government’s decision to build Diamer-Bhasha dam anti-people. The purpose of building such mega structure was to benefit investors and international organisations.

SPC demands PIA chief resign over plane crash

It said that Punjab had been “stealing” Sindh’s water for the past 150 years. The Indus had been strangled by dams and dykes but now no dam would be acceptable over the river because it would prove to be a death warrant for Sindh’s civilisation, said the meeting.

It said the committee would resist the anti-people project. Instead of filling up the reservoir the additional water should be released downstream Kotri Barrage to save delta, environment and people, it said.

The meeting said that instead of listening to health organisations they were being intimidated. It said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party had already proved themselves to be anti-peasant and urged Sindh government to seek assistance from federal government over elimination of locusts.

If rulers wanted to repeat politics of One Unit with controversy over 18th Amendment and NFC Award then the committee too was ready to launch struggle on the pattern of anti-One Unit campaign, said the meeting.

Awami Workers Party general secretary Noor Nabi Rahujo and Imdad Qazi of Communist Party of Pakistan attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2020