SUKKUR, Nov 6: MNA Mujeeb Pirzado has said people of Sindh are demanding the status of national language for Sindhi and Article 251 of the Constitution should be amended for the purpose.

In a press statement issued here on Thursday, he said he intended to move a bill in the National Assembly to give the status of national language to other languages of the country along with Urdu, which would include Sindhi, Punjabi, Seraiki, Pashto and Balochi.

Criticizing supporters of the Kalabagh dam, Mr Pirzado said the dam was located in salt range and water of the storage lake would be harmful for human consumption and agriculture.

He said the water would convert hundreds of thousands of acres of land in Punjab and the NWFP into marshland. Constr-uction of the dam was not in the interest of the country, he observed.

He further said the Bhasha dam was also in the earthquake zone and could cause deaths of thousands of people if it breached.

He observed that the only feasible project was the Skardu dam which would not affect the flow of the River Indus and 36 millions acres feet of water could be stored in five years that would cater to the water need of the country for next five years.

Commenting over the Oct 8 earthquake, he said this national calamity was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan and the relief and rehabilitation work would take 10 years to put people on their feet.

He said the government would not be able to handle the situation in isolation and it would be in the interest of the nation that opposition parties were involved in the process and exiled political leaders were called back and associated in this relief and rehabilitation work.