Demand to abandon dam projects

Published January 29, 2006

LARKANA, Jan 28: Leaders of the Sindh Qaumi Ittehad have said that revolution not election is the option for solution of all injustices done to Sindh. They were speaking at a rally at the Jinnahbagh gate here on Saturday.

Mumtaz Bhutto said the SQI wished to see smile on faces of Sindhis by driving out worries for which he called for collective approach from a united front.

“This is the only way to treat all ills”, he said.

“Come out from slumber and recollect your strength as we could inflict defeat on enemies of Sindh with the tool of unity”, he said.

“The usurpers who had oppressed Sindhis and robbed their rights since the independence will not stand before the unity of Sindhis” Mr Bhutto said.

He said that land, trade, services, revenue and what not of ours had been occupied.

He said in the 1983 when Sindhis stood up for rights army was used against them.

Pointing towards big protests and rallies held against the Kalabagh dam project by Sindhis in Karachi and Hyderabad had finally forced President Gen Parvez Musharraf to skip from announcing the project.

He said traitors were those who had looted Sindh’s rights, constructed dams, increased prices, swelled up graph of unemployment and torn peace.

He criticized the rulers for keeping mum over the US air strike in the Bajur Agency and killing innocent people.

“Instead of condemning the incident and lodging strongest protest with US, the rulers rushed to US just for what he called a photo session”, he said.

Bashir Qureshi announced that Sindhis were the sole heirs of the Indus River.

He said that no water accord except that of 1945 was acceptable to them.

He said that Sindh’s resources had been robbed away in the name of Islam and Pakistan.

Mr Qureshi rejected fresh distribution of the National Finance Commission award and demanded share on the basis on revenue generation and not the population.

He demanded releasing Zulfikar Kolachi, Zulfikar Zaoonar and other political activists who according to him had been arrested and kept at undisclosed place.

Dr Qadir Magsi criticised General Musharraf for army operation in Balochistan.

He said the operation was launched to capture gas, oil and coal resources where innocents were not only kidnapped but also brutally killed.

Wana was disturbed and US planes were bombarding in Pakistan’s territory.

Income of Sindh’s ports, coal, oil and natural resources had been captured by the center.

He criticized Punjab, opposed the construction of Kalabagh dam and rejected the NFC award. He pointing towards big gathering said that it was enough for rulers to realise the gravity of the situation.

Syed Zain Shah, Abdul Khalique Junejo and Hussain Bakhsh Thebo also spoke on the occasion.

They said when the rulers suppressed the voice of Bengalis they had chosen independence and now the voice of Sindhis was being gagged.

Opinion

Editorial

Closed doors
Updated 08 Jan, 2025

Closed doors

The nation’s fate has been decided through secret deals for too long, with the result that the citizenry has become increasingly alienated from the state.
Debt burden
08 Jan, 2025

Debt burden

THE federal government’s total debt stock soared by above 11pc year-over-year to Rs70.4tr at the end of November,...
GB power crisis
08 Jan, 2025

GB power crisis

MASS protests are not a novelty in Pakistan, and when the state refuses to listen through the available channels —...
Fragile peace
Updated 07 Jan, 2025

Fragile peace

Those who have lost loved ones, as well as those whose property has been destroyed in the clashes, must get justice.
Captive power cut
07 Jan, 2025

Captive power cut

THE IMF’s refusal to relax its demand for discontinuation of massively subsidised gas supplies to mostly...
National embarrassment
Updated 07 Jan, 2025

National embarrassment

The global eradication of polio is within reach and Pakistan has no excuse to remain an outlier.