HYDERABAD, April 20: The Anti-Greater Thal Canal and Kalabagh Dam Action Committee has reiterated its opposition to construction of dams on River Indus and demanded implementation of the 1991 Water Accord and Sindh’s share according to the agreement.

The action committee, which met at the residence of PPP leader and MPA Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi on Wednesday evening, severely criticised the federal and Sindh governments for their failure to solve the problems of Sindh.

It decided to hold a protest rally in Sukkur on May 6, against the proposed construction of dams on River Indus.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the convener of the action committee and president of the PPP Sindh chapter, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, said participants had taken a serious notice of the fact that the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had failed to determine the water share for Sindh.

He said wrong policies of the government had pushed the price of sugar in Sindh to Rs40-Rs45 per kg and expressed apprehensions that due to acute shortage of water, the wheat production might also be seriously affected.

He said the Sindh government could not raise voice for the rights of the province as it was incompetent.

The convener said that due to a delay in the release of water downstream Kotri, 3 million people had been affected. He alleged that the government was intentionally destroying the province economically.

Mr Shah pointed out that the Kharif season started in Sindh in March and the Kharif crops were sown in Sindh two months earlier than Punjab. He, however, regretted that due to non-availability of irrigation water, major crops could not be cultivated on time.

He said the parties affiliated with the action committee were of the unanimous opinion that direction of the protest should be changed towards Islamabad.

Expressing concern over the lawlessness in Sindh, he said the Nishtar Park carnage was the worst example of lawlessness and terrorism in the history of the country, adding that the government was avoiding to order a judicial inquiry into the tragic incident.

On behalf of the action committee, he demanded a probe into the blast by the Sindh High Court or Supreme Court.

He said the government was planning to bifurcate Thatta district and create a new district by attaching coastal belt with Dhabeji. He termed it a conspiracy to create what he said greater Karachi or another province in Sindh.

He warned the government that a strong protest would be launched throughout the province if the district was divided.

Mr Shah condemned the attack on the brother of the Awami Tehreek chief, Rasool Bux Palijo, and alleged that the ruling party was trying to change the direction of the investigation.

He demanded that either a judicial inquiry should be initiated into the incident or some honest officer be appointed to investigate the case. He also condemned the harassment of MPA Sassui Palijo.

He announced that a sub-committee led by MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah had been appointed to muster public support for the Sukkur protest rally.

People who attended the meeting were Awami Tahreek chief Rasool Bux Palijo, Sindh Taraqi Passand Party leader Dr Habib Memon, SNF leader Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, PML-N leader Makhdoom Shahnawaz, Maulana Abdul Waheed Qureshi of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Maulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sindh Water Committee secretary Abrar Qazi, Nazeer Memon, Hote Khan Gadhi, Ayoub Shar and others.