Hundreds of women and children and people from the interior of Sindh also attended the rally to protest against the construction of greater Thal canal and “artificial” water shortage in Sindh.
The rally was led by the president of the SWC and chief of Awami Tehrik, Rasool Bux Palijo, general secretary, SWC and AT, Abrar Kazi, chairman, Sindh National Party, Dr Dodo Mehri, president, Sindh Abadgar Board, Abdul Majeed Nizamani, Sindhiani Tehrik leader, Ms Nazeer Qureshi and others.
The peaceful and a disciplined rally began from Hirabad and terminated at the Hyderabad press club. Its participants marched on the main roads of Civil Hospital, Liberty Market, Tilak Charhi, Station Road, Kohinoor Chowk, Haider Chowk and Court Road.
The participants, carrying flags of the parties and banners, raised vociferous slogans against Wapda, President Gen Pervez Musharraf, greater Thal canal, Chashma-Jehlum link and Taunsa-Panjnad canal and Punjab.
A water tanker and accompanied the rally to provide water to the thirsty participants. The organizers had also set up camps to welcome the participants coming from interior of Sindh.
The rally adopted a resolution paying tributes to the people who had participated in the rally in the scorching heat to protest against “the economic genocide of the people of Sindh by the construction of illegal, unconstitutional and immoral Thal canal and artificial shortage of water”.
Another resolution accused the concerned authorities of “decades-long shameless theft of Sindh’s share of water”.
The rally demanded of President Gen Musharraf to make efforts for increasing harmony and reducing tension among the peoples of the federating units.
It reminded the president of his commitment with the people in his first address to the nation to eliminate disharmony between the provinces and demanded he should immediately stop the illegal construction of the disputed greater Thal canal and order the filling up of the already dug up portion of the canal.
Yet another resolution demanded the Chashma-Jehlum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals should be closed immediately and kept permanently closed.
The rally demanded adequate water supply should be released from Mangla Dam and Jehlum and Chanab rivers for Sindh to end the “artificial water famine imposed” on the province as both these rivers as well as the water stored in Mangla also belonged to the lower riparian.
In yet another resolution, the rally demanded the immediate removal of the apathetic government of Sindh which, according to it, had failed to protect the interests of Sindh regarding water and other issues.
In order to decide the century-old dispute over the distribution of water resources of the country, the rally demanded the constitution of an international panel comprising experts from international agencies.