HYDERABAD, March 26: Members of the Hyderabad District Bar Association, at a protest meeting held here on Friday, condemned the Wana operation and demanded a judicial inquiry into it.

The meeting was held in response to a call given at the All Pakistan Lawyers' Conference on March 22 in Lahore. The HDBA flayed harsh methods adopted in Wana and called for tackling the issue on humanitarian grounds. It demanded compensation for members of bereaved families.

The meeting also opposed construction of Kalabagh dam and greater Thal canal projects and termed it a conspiracy against people of the country. About the Hyderabad development package, the meeting called upon the prime minister to release it without any delay and urged district and taluka Nazims to carry out development works.

The members also held a meeting outside the Bar office. Bar vice-president Abdul Khaliq Leghari, general-secretary Nisar Durrani, Zahoor A. Baloch and others spoke on the occasion.

They were critical of the way the Wana issue was being handled by the government. Our Sukkur correspondent adds: The Wana operation was also condemned by a meeting of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Sukkur bench, on Friday.

The meeting, presided over by Sukkur Bar association president Imdad Ali Awan, said the government should hold talks with local people to resolve the issue instead of going for military action.