LAHORE, Dec 3: The Awami Workers Party on Monday rejected the recent Lahore High Court verdict on Kalabagh dam (KBD) and requested the court to avoid deciding cases that did not fall under its jurisdiction.

“As the KBD is a disputed project/matter and doesn’t carry massive public support, the judiciary should avoid hearing or deciding such issues,” AWP President Abid Hasan Manto said while speaking at a party’s Federal Executive Committee meeting.

He said the AWP would launch an awareness campaign for the masses about the facts of KBD. Punjab would be focused mainly, as majority of the people were unaware of negative impacts of the dam on the public, he added.

Moreover, the participants gave a go-ahead to induct six more women workers into the Federal Executive Committee to ensure representation of women up to 40 per cent. The committee also decided to hold women’s conventions in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad from January to March 2013 to educate people about women’s rights and empowerment.

It also sought active participation in the next general elections by fielding candidates from among labourers, trade unions and small growers/workers in all provincial and national constituencies.

The participants urged the party leadership to get the AWP registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan as a political party.

A four-member delegation led by Manto would meet the chief election commissioner in this regard, the meeting decided.

The participants urged the party leadership to expedite the AWP membership campaign by involving labourers working in urban and rural areas. The meeting was attended by Fanoos Gujjar, Nasir Mansoor, Farooq Tariq, Dr Farzana Bari, Younus Rahu, Yousaf Masti Khan, Dr Asim Sajjad Akhtar, Talib Husain and others.

The AWP, a left-wing political party, was formally founded on Nov 11 after the merger of Awami Party, Workers Party and Labour Party Pakistan.