KARACHI, Dec 22: Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) chief Pir Pagara on Thursday announced his support for the Kalabagh dam which, he said, would also benefit Hurs. Pir Pagara was addressing a crowded press conference at his residence ‘Kingri House’ on Thursday afternoon.

He said the dam was being opposed due to the prevailing mistrust with Punjab. It will be the obligation of President Musharraf, or whosoever is in command, to implement all terms and conditions regarding the dam and the water accords, including the one signed in 1991.

The PML-F chief said that he had earlier stated that there was no future of the Sindh Assembly. It was the president who had been keeping it alive despite its unwieldiness. Now it appears there is no need to keep this “lifeless house” in place and the vacuum can be filled with a caretaker set-up.

On the possibility of a national government, he said there was no way left to overcome the current crisis (except by forming a national government) but it all depended on the president as to who should be invited and inducted in the cabinet. He recalled that he had forecast that the system was not going to work.

When his attention was drawn to a statement of Sindh chief minister against the Kalabagh dam, the spiritual leader of Hurs said the weather was changing and he had a hunch that a political quake was waiting in the wings, which might turn everything topsy-turvy.

On Dr Arbab Rahim’s remarks that he would rather go back home riding on a donkey than support the dam, the PML-F chief wondered how his area, a desert, could be irrigated. As such, he would only see water but won’t be able to use it.

Regarding the president’s remarks about a political quake in the country, Pir Pagara said he was not aware of the timing of the quake but the president was very much clear when the quake would strike.

When asked how much support President Musharraf would be able to muster during his visit to Sindh, he said it was not his concern whether the president got support from institutions “but we want to cultivate our lands”.

When pointed out that the Kalabagh dam was the only subject on which his views converged with those of PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, he recalled that he had been favouring the construction of the dam right from the beginning. “If dams are built, electricity would be available at cheap rates. At present we are suffering because of PPP which had made electricity costly.”

He said except Kalabagh, no other dam could be built first because of the ease of moving heavy machinery to the site.

About Kalabagh opponents’ view that the country would break up if the project was taken up, Pir Pagara said no province could be separated from the country unless the big province pushed it so, or a foreign power annexed it.

When it was pointed out that his party’s legislators were also opposed to the dam plan and that his party could see erosion of its vote bank for lending support to Kalabagh, the PML-F chief said everyone had the right to his opinion.

“As far as we are concerned, the 1991 water accord favoured Sindh as the province received a larger share of water for cultivation, which benefited the Hurs. But the Benazir government signed another agreement in 1994 which hurt Sindh’s interest.”

Pir Pagara sought media’s support in getting the 1991 accord implemented as the PPP was against it. The Thal canal and Reni canal would end up irrigating the lands of Hurs which was objected to by PPP leader Shah Muhammad Shah. “The Thal canal would come up to Mitthi while Reni canal would stop at Umarkot which would bring a vast area under cultivation,” he said.

He said at the annual gathering on 27th Rajab at Dargah Pir Jo Goth he had given good news to his followers that very soon the issue of dam would arise and they (the followers) would get water in excess to cultivate their land, particularly in the desert areas of Sindh.

He said no landlord was opposed to the Kalabagh dam as only those were agitating who did not have any land. He said “you cannot find any landlord saying he does not want water or who was ready to accept less water”.

The PML-F chief said those opposing the dam were self-styled Sindhi leaders who were in the habit of saying first “Na Khape”.

At the time of construction of Ghulam Muhammad Barrage, it was said that it would only benefit Hurs “but now the entire Sindh is taking advantage of its water”.