HYDERABAD, Jan 14: Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) Sindh President and Sindh Communications and Works Minister Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashidi has said that he sees no harm in selling Sindh’s two islands for the sake of attracting investment and disputed reports that a sizable fishermen community was living on them.
"Until now the islands were called kutta (dog's) islands. There are only a few camels and dogs (living on them)," he said while addressing a news conference at the residence of local party leader Abdul Jabbar Nizamani in Latifabad Unit No.2 on Saturday night.
The minister said that the government had formed a committee to decide the issue because different agencies had laid claims on the islands’ ownership. "But we are in favour of investment," Mr. Rashidi said.He underscored the need for building water reservoirs in the country and said that they should be constructed provided excess water was available in the system.
He called for evolving consensus on the dams and said "let the first dam be constructed and see if it is catering to our needs and then the second dam should be built. But availability of water in the system is a precondition."
Mr. Rashidi claimed that Sindh had so far got more water than its due share according to 1991 Accord and said that a super flood every five to eight years would fill the reservoirs to the brim. "There will be no objection if the dam is used only for storage purpose," he said.
About National Finance Commission (NFC) award, he said that the province had received Rs4 billion additional after the president announced the award on account of differences among provinces.
He feigned ignorance of reports that the present assemblies would re-elect the president before general elections and said that if Benazir Bhutto did not return then several leaders of her party would join PML-F.
On this occasion, local PML-Q office-bearers and workers announced joining PML-F. PML-F Sindh General Secretary Nawab Rashid Ali Khan, Speaker Sindh Assembly Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah and Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh also accompanied the minister, who is on a four-day visit of interior Sindh to reorganise the party.
