HYDERABAD: Sindh United Party (SUP) president Syed Zain Shah has accused Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah of misleading people of the province, considering the fact that President Asif Ali Zardari had allowed six canals’ project ‘unconstitutionally’ in a July 8 meeting held under his chairmanship in the presidency.

He was speaking to journalists after presiding over a meeting of the SUP’s central executive committee in Jamshoro on Wednesday. Zain said the CM was deceiving the people because his political boss had bargained over the Sindh’s rights.

He said that 26th Amendment would undermine the provincial autonomy and weaken judiciary, which was condemnable. He demanded resignation of the president for taking what he termed an unconstitutional step.

He informed that a core committee meeting of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) would be held in Karachi under Pir Pagara’s chairmanship to decide future strategy of the movement launched to save river Indus.

The SUP central leader disclosed that the meeting of ‘Sindhu Darya Bachayo Tehrik’ would be held on Nov 4 to be hosted by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh chapter. The Sindh United Thinkers Forum would hold a seminar in Karachi on Nov 8 on the issue of conspiracy against the water share of Sindh, he added.

He said that any impact on Kotri Barrage would affect the people of Badin, Thatta and Karachi. He said the SUP’s meeting of Wednesday had decided that its leaders would present a memorandum to the elected parliamentarians in their respective districts about usurpation of Indus river’s water. He said the PPP wanted to fail the tehrik by exploiting religious and lingual conflicts, but the SUP would foil that conspiracy.

He said that on one hand Punjab’s lands were being irrigated at the cost of the lands of Sindh. He added that three dams with cumulative capacity of 3.2MAF would be built over Chenab River as per the Punjab government to store floodwaters.

He said that in addition to the canals of Greater Thal, Kachhi, Rainee, Thar and Chashma Right Bank, Cholistan flood feeder would also be built with a capacity of 3.58m acres of land in Punjab through forcible use of flows, otherwise meant for Sindh. He termed that plan anti-Pakistan and anti-Sindh to convert the province into a desert.

He stated that the local government system of 2012, which had been rejected by Sindh, was being reintroduced through 27th amendment under a plan.

Zain paid tributes to lawyers for raising voice against this anti-people amendment. He said the SUP supported all those voices against the six canals of Punjab over Indus river.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024