PESHAWAR, Dec 15: The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has warned that the construction of Kalabagh dam “will destroy the federation of Pakistan and trigger world’s first war over water”. Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, a spokesman for the PMAP, alleged that military officials had divided the nation over a “dead issue” so that they could divert donors’ attention from the post-quake political situation in the country.

He alleged that President Pervez Musharraf had created a crisis in the country at a time when the nation needed complete unity in its ranks to tackle the task of rehabilitation of quake victims.

He accused Gen Musharraf of fighting a war of Punjab’s interests and trying to browbeat the three smaller provinces which were opposed to the controversial dam.

He said such an attitude meant that people of the three provinces and their interests meant nothing.

He said Pakistan, the military, Punjab and secret agencies were all different dimensions of one entity – Punjab.

He said Gen Musharraf had tried to convince the Sindhi-speaking people in the name of the 1991 water apportionment accord, but did not accept any right of Pukhtuns on their share of water.

He said the recent statements of Pakistan Muslim League chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed were “full of venom” against the smaller provinces.

The PMAP spokesman said recent remarks of Gen Musharraf on the dam were tantamount to saying that Pukhtuns’ right on water will be usurped by force.

“We accept the challenge and pledge to our nation that we will defend their right. We appeal to the Pukhtuns to sink their petty differences and forge unity to defeat the plans of the big province,” he added.

He appealed to donor agencies not to provide any loan for the construction of the controversial dam. Anybody who would support the dam, like Shamsul Mulk and Amir Muqam, would be rejected by the people, he added.