HYDERABAD, Aug 28: Leaders of the Anti-Greater Thal Canal Action Committee have reaffirmed their resolve not to allow construction of the Thal canal and the Kalabagh dam.
They were talking to journalists at the residence of People’s Party Parliamentarian leader Imdad Pitafi in Qasimabad before leaving for Ubaro and Sukkur in their ongoing campaign to muster public support against the water projects.
The leaders said President Gen Pervez Musharraf should honour resolutions of three provincial assemblies against the controversial water projects in the interest of national unity and integrity of the country.
The convener of the action committee, Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, criticized President Musharraf for favouring construction of the Kalabagh dam and the Thal canal, saying he had not considered reservations of the people regarding the projects.
Mr Khuhro, who is the president of the Sindh PPP and the leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, said the Legal Framework Order was the root cause of the crisis facing the country.
He said the people of three provinces had given their unanimous verdict against construction of the Kalabagh dam.
He said the way the president was treating the resolutions of the assemblies demonstrated that he did not give any importance to the assemblies.
The PPP leader said they were opposing Gen Musharraf as he had no respect for the Constitution and institutions of the country.
He said for launching a campaign for mobilizing public opinion in favour of the Kalabagh dam the president had called 74 technocrats to Karachi but only four were allowed to speak.
He condemned the baton-charge on women protesters in Jamshoro.
He said the action committee would soon convene a conference in Karachi to counter the pro-Thal canal and the Kalabagh dam campaign of the president.
Answering a question about the constitution of a technical committee under the chairmanship of A. N. G Abbasi by President Musharraf on water issue, Mr Khuhro said they were not depending on the committee and there was no guarantee that its recommendations would be accepted. He said he also doubted that Mr Abbasi would stick to his point of view against the two projects.
Awami Tehrik chief Rasool Bux Palijo, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party chairman Dr Qadir Magsi, Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Afzal Gujjar, Jamaat Islami leader Abdul Waheed Qureshi, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-P leader Azam Jehangiri, Sindh National Front leader Wali Mohammad Jamari and others were also present on the occasion.
They supported the viewpoint expressed by Mr Khuhro.
The leaders of the action committee also visited the shrine of Qalandar Lal Shahbaz in Sehwan where they offered Fateha.
They will stay in Khairpur Nathan Shah for the night.