ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday held out an assurance to the people of Sindh that nobody would be allowed to deny them their rights while underlining at the same time the need to implement the 1991 Water Accord in letter and in spirit.

In an effort to remove the apprehensions of the people of Sindh on water issues, including construction of Kalabagh dam and Greater Thal Canal, President Musharraf held here a two-hour long meeting with the parliamentarians from Sindh belonging to the ruling alliance, and sought their cooperation for building more water reservoirs in the country.

Discussing the matter of water in detail, the president said that in view of growing population, increasing demand of agricultural output and silting of existing dams, it was necessary for Pakistan’s economic development that increased water availability was ensured.

Referring to the projected population figure of 225 million by the year 2025, the president said the country needed more reservoirs to bring additional 20 million acres under cultivation. Besides this, Gen Musharraf said Pakistan required an additional 25 million acre feet of drinking water.

He said three to four major dams would have to be constructed in the next 50 years. “Pakistan cannot afford to maintain the status quo on water issues and a decision on the construction of water reservoirs will have to be taken by the middle of next year.

This is a national cause. Pakistan needs water and, therefore, it is the duty of every responsible Pakistani, particularly the elected representatives, to create awareness among the people in this regard, he added.

The president particularly highlighted the importance of water for the Sindh province due to its location. He asked the elected representatives to brief the people of their constituencies about water issues and help the government develop a consensus on the controversial projects.

Gen Musharraf also underlined the need for implementing the 1991 Water Accord in letter and in spirit. He regretted that the accord was revised in 1994 by the PPP government, which led to complications and problems.

The president emphasized that Sindh needed to eliminate inefficiencies and injustices in water distribution, as farmers at the tail-end were deprived of their due share of irrigation water. “Sindh must act in its own best interests,” he added.

According to sources, parliamentarians belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) asked the president to take all the provinces and political parties into confidence before initiating “controversial” projects.

The sources said the MQM members told the president that Sindh had no hard feelings against any province and it was aware of the importance of building more dams and reservoirs. “However, all the political parties should be taken into confidence and projects should be launched only after developing a consensus,” an MQM senator while representing his party reportedly suggested to the president during the interaction.

The sources said the MQM presented its point of view in detail to the president on water issues and stressed the need for increasing coordination among provinces to remove apprehensions against each other on various issues.

The president also spoke about other problems facing Pakistan, particularly the issue of sectarian and religious extremism. He said: “We will not allow Pakistan to be hijacked by extremists. We will deal with sectarian elements strongly and we must meet the challenge of religious extremism head on,” he added.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and former president and Millat Party chief Sardar Farooq Leghari also called on Gen Pervez Musharraf and exchanged views with him on the political environment in the country.

A delegation of Lions Club, India, also called on Gen Musharraf and exchanged views on possible means to improve relations between the two neighbouring countries.