SUKKUR, May 7: Sindh will take up the issues of the National Finance Commission Award and the construction of the greater Thal canal in the Council of Common Interests.

This was stated by Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, Sindh’s minister for inter-provincial matters at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Terming the contention that greater Thal canal was part of the 1991 water accord wrong, he said that the Sindh Assembly had unanimously approved resolution calling for stoppage of work in this regard, adding that the provincial government would ensure the implementation of the 1991 accord.

Pledging to fight the case of Sindh in a dignified manner, he said that his ministry would strive to create a better understanding among other provinces.

Stressing the need for adopting a national approach on the issues of law and order, water, gas and coal, he said that efforts would be made to bring investment form other provinces, enabling the province to prosper.

Similarly, he said, there was a possibility of Sindh to invest in other provinces on a reciprocal basis, he said.

The minister said that his ministry would try to remove the negative impression of Sindh, which he said, existed in other provinces.

He said that Sindh needed water downstream Kotri and called for implementing the 1991 accord in this regard.

A meeting, he said, of senior officials would soon be convened to discuss the inter-provincial controversies created on political grounds, adding that all disputes in this regard would be resolved.

He said he would soon hold discussions on issues related to Sindh with the Sindh chief minister and provincial governor and would try to bridge differences between the provinces in connection with the shortage of water in Sindh, employment of local people in the multinational companies, fixation of prices of agriculture produce and the other agriculture-related problems.

He said that he was trying to contact local industrialists as well as investors from the NWFP and Punjab to convince them to invest in Sindh, adding that protection to investors would be assured.

Sindh government’s reservations on different issues with other provinces would be amicably resolved.