HYDERABAD, July 8: The Sindh National Council (SNC) and the Sindh National Party (SNP) will ask the people during the election campaign to vote against those candidates who had not openly opposed the greater Thal canal project.

This was announced by the SNC leader, Hussain Bukhsh Thebo, the SNP chief, Dr Dodo Mehri, and others in a news conference held at the press club here on Monday.

The leaders of the two breakaway factions of the STPP appealed to the political parties, enjoying a following in the province, to raise strong voice against the greater Thal canal project and take part in the struggle against it.

They said that the parties should make it clear in their manifestos that they would raise their voice against the disputed canal project in the assemblies.

They said that the people, who did not raise voice against the Thal canal and other such projects, would be betraying Sindh.

They rejected the government’s claim that sufficient water was available in Sindh. They said that due to water shortage in the province, water rotation programme was still continuing and very small quantity of water was available for standing crops. As a result, sugarcane crop had been destroyed and rice crop could not be sown, they added.

They said that water was released downstream Kotri only for four days and the water supply had again been stopped.

They said that during the last four years the water crisis in Sindh had deepened and it would further worsen after the construction of the Thal canal and other such projects.

The leaders said that the SNC and the SNP had decided to launch a movement against the greater Thal canal in Aug.

They said that to express solidarity with the indigenous people of different parts of the world, the two parties would observe the International Day of Indigenous People on Aug 9.

They said that the Sindhis were indigenous people of Sindh but their “national” identity was in danger and added that they neither believed in racism nor were against any ethnic group but they considered it their inherent right to protect the “national” identity of their people.

They condemned the Larkana police operation against the activists of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, who were peacefully protesting against the Thal canal project and water shortage in Sindh.