DADU, Aug 8: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that he has advised the centre not to launch an army operation in Balochistan and the federal government has agreed to hold negotiations with Baloch Sardars.

He was talking to newsmen at the residence of late G.M. Syed in Sann town after addressing a public meeting on Sunday. He said that on the directives of the president and the prime minister, Secretary-General of the National Security Council Tariq Aziz was holding talks with Nawab Akbar Bugti in Balochistan. He said that army operations never yielded any good result in the past.

He said that Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wanted the Ponam's general secretary and nationalist leader, Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah, to play a role in defusing the situation.

The chief minister said that Syed Jalal Shah had reacted positively to the suggestion. However, due to bad weather, Chaudhry Shujaat could not come to Sann to meet the nationalist leader, but he would be there soon, the chief minister said.

Speaking on the issue of dams, Arbab Rahim said he would not support Kalabagh dam, but he would like small dams to be built to store water for agriculture. He said that the Punjab government had agreed to follow the 1991 water accord which was in the best interest of Sindh.

He said that a meeting of the water committee, which he also attended, decided to abide by the water accord. He said that the PPP government in 1994 had introduced a ministerial accord on the issue of water which was against the interests of Sindh.

He said that Sindh was facing a severe water shortage because of wrong decisions taken by the PPP government. Dr Arbab Rahim said he was also against the Greater Thal Canal but the PPP government had supported the project in 1992.

He announced that new districts would be created soon in Dadu, Larkana and Jacobabad to provide facilities to the people. He said that the district of Umerkot would be revived. Sann, he announced, would be made a taluka.

He said that he had ordered an inquiry into the Sukkur Barrage issue and its report would be made public. Provincial Revenue Minister Imtiaz Shaikh said that Sindh government had got resolutions on the water issue and the NFC Award passed in the assembly and would stick to these resolutions.