HYDERABAD, Sept 24: The Sindh Water Committee has rejected the report of the World Bank recommending construction of big dams in Pakistan and announced that protest demonstrations against the World Bank will be held throughout Sindh on October 2.

The committee further announced that a water conference will also be held in Karachi on November 20, to discuss this issue. The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the committee held in Qasimabad here on Friday.

The president of the committee, Mr Rasool Bux Palijo, was in the chair.

Those who attended the meeting included the president of Sindh Abadgar Board, Mr Abdul Majeed Nizamani, Professor Qurban Panhwar, Muzaffar Sadiq Bhatti, Abrar Kazi, Qadir Ranto, Dr Nazeer Shaikh and others.

Briefing newsmen about the proceedings of the meeting, Mr Palijo said that the World Bank was in fact a financial weapon in the hands of imperialist powers and added that protest movements were going on in almost all the countries against the World Bank.

He said if big dams were constructed in Pakistan the people of Sindh will not only be deprived of drinking water but also of food as the River Indus is the only source of sustenance for the people of Sindh. He accused the federal government of trying to commit genocide of the Sindhi nation by stopping their water.

He said the present rulers were in fact the enemies of Sindh. He said that by stopping their water and depriving them of jobs, the people of Sindh had become slaves and added that the Sindhi people have also been deprived of their inherent right of sovereignty.

He said that LBOD and RBOD projects were disastrous for Sindh and vowed to continue struggle against the anti-Sindh projects.

He announced that the water committee had decided to hold protest demonstrations throughout Sindh on October 2, against the World Bank report and added that a water conference will also be held in Karachi on November 20, on this issue.

He said water experts, writers, intellectuals and growers will be invited to attend the water conference. He appealed to the people of Sindh to participate in October 2 protest demonstrations.