THATTA: Speakers at a workshop organised by Sindhi Shagird Tehreek have termed renewed push for the construction of Kalabagh Dam by Wapda chairman as a conspiracy aimed at fracturing the country.

They were speaking at the three-day moot on “Equipped with revolutionary theories” held on Aug 2-4 at Awami Tehreek (AT) founder’s final resting place in Jangshahi.

AT Central President Lal Jarwar recalled that Palijo had condemned the Kalabagh Dam project, which had been rejected by Pakistan’s three provincial assemblies and the general public. Wapda chairman’s clamour for building the controversial dam was a conspiracy to disintegrate the country, he warned.

Rashid Daodpoto argued that negative propaganda against China by India, America, and other capitalist countries was based on falsehoods and criticised Pakistani left’s stance on China, claiming that it was influenced by American propaganda and lacked rigorous research.

Abdul Qadir Ranto said that AT had always been at the forefront of struggle for raising awareness on burning issues like the Kalabagh Dam.

The other AT leaders, Hoorunnisa Palijo, Vasand Thari, Naveed Abbas Kalhoro, Ismail Khaskheli, Ramesh Raja, Atif Mallah, Dayal Sahrai, Dr Ayaz Samo, Pradeep Gulab, Kabir Bheel and others stressed the importance of student politics. Ban on student unions was a hallmark of dictatorships, they said.

They said that a multi-pronged effort was under way to seize Sindh’s lands, resources, and control over the Indus River.

They criticised rise of liberal tendencies among youth, attributing them to a lack of clear purpose and individualism, and suggested that extensive studies could help overcome these tendencies.

They stressed the importance of psychological knowledge to address rising trend of suicide and mental illnesses among the youth.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2024