HYDERABAD, July 29: The Sindh National Council has lauded the stand of legislators from Balochistan, Sindh and the Seraiki belt on the water issue in the National Assembly.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, leaders of the council Hussain Bux Thebo, Dr Dodo Mahiri and Punhal Sario , said their speeches proved that the parliamentary committee and the technical committee on water had no legal or constitutional locus standi.

They said the treasury members from the Seraiki belt had raised their voice against the excesses of Punjab. They said they condemned the sell-out of water to India as a result the Seraiki belt and Sindh had been deprived of their share.

They demanded that no dam, Kalabagh or Bhasha, should be built in the Indus system as the main purpose of these dams would be to store water for irrigating lands in Punjab at the cost of Sindh.

The SNC leaders expressed surprise over the statement of the federal minister for water and power, Aftab Sherpao, who had urged the people to pray for rain as no water was available in dams.

"If there is no water for existing dams, from where will it come for the future dams", they asked. They said the only purpose of the Thal canal was to cultivate these barren lands which had been doled out at the rate of Rs380 per acre.

They said the feudal gentry from Sindh could be "purchased" on the water issue, but the voice of millions of Sindh is could not be suppressed. The SNC leaders advised the rulers to read the writing on the wall and abandon the idea of building more dams and canals.