BADIN, Aug 30: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal general-secretary Maulana Fazalur Rehman has said the government is encouraging nationalists and introducing regional politics under a plan against national politics in the country and warned that this may create hatred among the provinces and harm the country.

Speaking at a gathering here on Friday evening, he criticized President Gen Pervez Musharraf for raising the issue of the Kalabagh dam and the Thal canal during his visit to rain-hit Badin.

He said nationalist parties were protesting against the Kalabagh dam and assemblies of three provinces had already rejected the project but the government was bent on constructing the dam.

The Maulana said the opposition had faith in the Constitution and considered parliament very important for the country’s stability and prosperity.

About the relief operation in the Badin district, the MMA leader said the Sindh government and the local administration of the district had failed to rehabilitate the rain-affected families. He said misappropriation was also witnessed in distribution of relief goods among the people.

He announced that the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and the Al-Khair Trust would construct 1,000 houses for the rain victims. He said 100 houses had already been constructed in the Bakhsho Dero village, Bhugra Memon Union Council, Badin taluka.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference, Mr Fazal said the affected people of Badin were suffering due to the rift between the district Nazim and the district relief committee.

He called for permanent rehabilitation of the affected people.

When asked why no representative from Sindh was taken in the five-member delegation that visited India, the MMA general-secretary said the representative from the province, Gul Rehman, was busy in some cases pending against him in Karachi and there was no point for having a sense of deprivation.

He earlier went to Lowari Sharif and visited rain-hit villages.

WORLD BANK: The World Bank has approved Rs119.84 million for maintenance of the irrigation and drainage system and Rs70 million more is needed for rehabilitation of the system damaged in the recent rains.

This was said by a representative of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority while briefing Flood Commission chairman Malik Tahir Saeed here on Thursday.

He said the Left Bank Outfall Drain had lost its 30 per cent capacity as no funds were provided to Sida for its maintenance.