HYDERABAD, Jan 28: The Sindh Taraqqi Passand Party (STPP) has declared that acute shortage of water had become a matter of life and death for Sindh and Punjab would have to change its attitude in this regard.

A daylong meeting of the STPP central committee was held here on Sunday. Presided over by the party chief, Dr Qadir Magsi, the meeting urged the federal government to stop Punjab from depriving Sindh of its due share of River Indus water.

The meeting called upon the Sindh government that if it was really sincere in its public announcements that no Deh of Sindh was being transferred to Punjab, it should issue a clear notification in this regard and recall the Revenue personnel who were engaged in the survey of these Dehs in Ghotki district.

The meeting strongly protested against the attitude of LASMO and other oil exploration companies for ignoring local people in respect of employment.

The meeting resolved to support the protest movement launched by the youth of Dadu district for employment in LASMO.

A two-member committee was appointed to organize the struggle in coordination with the Dadu Action Committee and enlarge the scope of protest against the multinational company.

The meeting expressed satisfaction over the results of on- going protest movement of the party against the influx of Afghan refugees and other outsiders into Sindh, proposed transfer of 17 Dehs of Ghotki district to Punjab and for the fixing of just prices for crops.

The meeting resolved to continue the protest movement to its logical conclusion and hold protest meetings in the district headquarters for three months from Feb to Apr.

It also decided to hold a seminar in Karachi on “national autonomy” and invite the nationalist leaders and representatives of progressive and democratic forces including writers and intellectuals of the country to address the seminar.

A three-member committee was appointed to finalize arrangements for the seminar.

The meeting decided to observe the death anniversary of Kamal Rahimoon in Umerkot on Mar 16 and also to hold public meetings at the district headquarters on Mar 21 in connection with the Mader-i-Watan Day.

It decided to observe the next three months as the membership raising months to organise the party up to village level and to hold the central convention of Taraqqi Passand Mazdoor Federation on Feb 16.