HYDERABAD, July 25: The Pakistan Oppressed Nations' Movement, Sindh, at a meeting held here on Saturday decided to prepare a strong Sindh case to present it at the central conference of Ponam in Islamabad on Aug 16. The chief of the Sindh Sagar Party, Maulana Aziz Bohio, presided over the meeting.

The meeting demanded that Sindh should be given total authority to decide its own political, economic and cultural affairs. It decided that oppressed nations - Sindhi, Seraiki, Baloch and Pakhtun - should prepare a case to expose their political, cultural, economic and constitutional exploitation.

The meeting criticized the role of rangers and said the basic purpose of handing over the Sindh irrigation system to rangers was to humiliate and insult the farmers of Sindh.

Severely criticising the excesses of police, the meeting observed that Sindh had been converted into a police state. It regretted orchards of Sindh over hundreds of acres of land were being cut due to an acute shortage of water.

The meeting noted tens of thousands of acres of rich agricultural lands of coastal areas had been swallowed by the sea due to non-release of water downstream Kotri.

It was decided the next meeting of the organization would be held in Jamshoro to scrutinize papers that would be presented at the Islamabad conference. Participants of the meeting include STPP leader Haider Shahani, and SNF leader Gul Mohammad Jakhrani.

AWAMI TEHRIK: Awami Tehrik chief Rasool Bux Palijo has said millions of people of Sindh have been deprived of two square meals due to artificial water shortage. He was talking to a delegation of growers of Thul Shakh, which called on him here on Saturday. The delegation comprised Shakoor Kanwani, Taj Mohammad Kanwani and others.