PESHAWAR, Jan 18: The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced that it will move international donor agencies and the United Nations to protect rights of Pukhtoons if the federal government decided to execute the disputed Kalabagh dam project.

"If Islamabad can move the World Bank over the Baglihar dam issue why can't we raise our issues at the international level to protect fundamental rights of the Pukhtoons and economic interests of our area," said Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Senior Vice-President of the ANP, while talking to a group of newsmen here on Tuesday.

Mr Bilour, who is also heading ANP's special anti-Kalabagh dam committee, said that his party would contact the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the UN on the controversial dam project if the federal government decided to go ahead with it.

"We are not going to keep silent as it is a matter of life and death for the people of the North West Frontier Province and Sindh," said Mr Bilour, adding that the Baglihar dam was the result of injustices being done with smaller provinces by those who wanted to sink Pukhtoons and deprive Sindh of water by constructing a large dam at Kalabagh.

He said: "If you will move the World Bank against the construction of Baglihar dam, Pukhtoons and Sindhis would also adopt the same course by taking up their case to international forums."

The federal government's policy to take a decision viz-a-viz the Kalabagh dam project, Mr Bilour added, at this moment of time was meant to create differences among liberal democratic forces of the political arena who were, at the present, coming closer to each other to wage a joint struggle against it [the federal government] for restoration of democracy.

"Bringing the Kalabagh dam issue from the cold storage at this moment is a conspiracy against the country and an attempt to divide the nation," said Mr Bilour.