LAHORE, Dec 27: Opposition leader in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rahman alleges that Gen Musharraf is using the “stunt” of Kalabagh dam to promote regional political parties. He told reporters here on Tuesday that the army ruler was not sincere about the dam. Rather he wanted to create an atmosphere that could push the mainstream political parties into the background, he added.

The MMA was ready to welcome the execution of the water reservoirs provided its reservations about the project were removed, he told a questioner.

Replying to a query, he said a meeting of the combined opposition had been scheduled for adopting a joint stand on the issue.

The problem was lack of trust among smaller provinces in the project because during Gen Ziaul Haq’s era they had been first told that no canal would originate from the Kalabagh for Punjab but later, to get support of Punjabis, it was said that the province would be given share in the reservoir’s waters, he said.

Now it was again being said that no canal would be designed for Punjab, he added.

He challenged the government’s assertion that southern NWFP would be provided water from Kalabagh because, according to him, digging a canal for the area from the proposed site was not feasible.

The Maulana said he could not deny the need for reservoirs, however, the work should be started from “uncontroversial” projects.

He suggested executing Bhasha and small dams first and then estimating if there was a need for constructing Kalabagh.

By that time, he hoped, the opposition to the project could also recede.

The MMA leader opposed unilateral measures being taken by Islamabad on Kashmir issue.

He said the policy had brought the country to a weaker position on the dispute.

He said Islamabad and New Delhi were facing world pressure for solving the conflict through talks though Pakistan was facing an additional pressure for “restoring confidence of India.”

He told a questioner that neither he nor had parliament been taken into confidence by the government before giving the proposal of introducing self-governance in Kashmir and making it a military free area. “Only one institution (armed forces) is handling the issue and the democratic world is not giving much importance to its decisions.”

He lamented that Nato forces were invited for rescue work in the quake-hit areas “but our own forces were kept busy in Waziristan and Balochistan conducting operations against our own people.”

About the future of the MMA, of which his party is also a component, he said the grouping was to stay and would make for the loss it had suffered in the recent local polls owing to infighting between two constituents over fielding of candidates.

The alliance would be re-organized at province level by February and then the process would be initiated at district level, he added.