HYDERABAD, July 4: Incidents of bomb blasts, wanton killings of political and religious leaders, suicides by jobless people and tribal clashes have proved that the government has failed on all fronts.

This was stated by the leader of opposition in the Sindh Assembly and convenor of the Anti-Greater Thal Canal Action Committee, Nisar Khuhro, while speaking to journalists at the conclusion of a meeting of the action committee.

He said that the allocation of Rs1.5 billion in the federal budget for the construction of Thal canal was tantamount to adding salt to the wounds of Sindh.

He announced that the action committee decided to inject a new life into the struggle against the construction of anti-Pakistan and anti-Sindh water projects and added that in furtherance of this objective it would hold water conferences in each districts.

Mr Khuhro said that the rulers were determined to go ahead with the controversial water projects, ignoring the strong opposition from the water-starved Sindh province.

He claimed that the people of Sindh wanted to save Pakistan, the rulers were the least interested in the unity, integrity and solidarity of the country. Mr Khuhro said that as Thatta and Badin were the worst affected districts, water conferences will be held in Thatta on July 13 and in Badin on July 23 where the leaders of the action committee would also address bar associations.

He said that due to the inefficiency of the rulers 1.3 million acres of rich agricultural land had been destroyed in the two deltaic districts. He said that in order to perpetuate themselves in power, some people from Sindh had weakened the case of Sindh.

Mr Khuhro reminded Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Raheem that he had supported the Sindh Assembly resolution against the Thal canal and urged him to announce his stand publicly on the issue.

He said that the prime minister in-waiting, Shaukat Aziz was a strong supporter of the Kalabagh dam and greater Thal canal and urged the people of Thar to defeat him in the election in the larger interest of Sindh.

Mr Khuhro warned that if the rulers finally decided to construct the Kalabagh dam, then Sindh would also announce its verdict. Meanwhile, after a lapse of about five months, the members of the committee met again at the residence of MPA Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi on Saturday night and held deliberations for over three hours.

People's Party Parliamentarians Sindh president Nisar Khuhro presided over the meeting. The meeting resolved to hold conferences at the district level, address bar associations and launch a mass contact movement.

It warned the rulers that if the construction of Kalabagh dam and greater Thal canal was not abandoned then they should be prepared for strong reaction by the people of Sindh. The committee reaffirmed its resolve to continue struggle against the construction of greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam.

Awami Tehrik chief Rasool Bux Palijo, Sindh water committee secretary Abrar Qazi, PPP leader Shah Mohammad Shah, STPP leader Haider Shahani, PML-N leader Afzal Gujjar, JUI-F leader Maulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon and SNF leader Ayub Shar participated in the meeting.