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No new dam on Indus: Khuhro

Posted on: Fri January 22, 2010

HYDERABAD: Sindh Assembly Speaker and PPP leader Nisar Khuhro on Friday said no dam would be constructed on the Indus River as per the manifesto of the Pakistan People s Party.He expressed these views while addressing a conference held here to show solidarity between the ruling PPP and the nationalist parties of Sindh.The conference, held under the title of the Save Indus Conference , was jointly organised by the Sindh Democratic Forum (SDF) and the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO).Addressing the conference, speakers belonging to the PPP and the nationalist parties showed solidarity and vowed to continue their struggle for saving the Indus River. The conference adopted various resolutions, demanding of the authorities concerned to scrap the Vision 2025 of Wapda, that no dam should be constructed on the Indus River, implementation of the 1991 water accord, release of 10 MAF water in the Kotri downstream and that compensation should be paid for losses in Sindh due to the shortage of water.Khuhro said efforts were underway to save the Indus River. He termed it the lifeline of Sindh and recalled that his party had struggled, along with the nationalist parties, to save the Indus River.He said a suo motu notice was taken over the shortage of water at the Rawal Dam and demanded that a suo motu notice should also be taken on the shortage of water in the Indus River. He said the president had talked about constructing small dams and that no big dam would be constructed.Water expert ANG Abbasi said the Indus Delta had been devastated because of the acute shortage of water and three rivers of Pakistan had been sold to India after the Partition. He said water should be distributed among the provinces according to the 1991 water accord. He said not only the Punjab, but the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was also responsible for reducing the share of water of Sindh. He said the Kalabagh Dam should not be constructed.Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi said technocrats and intellectuals of Sindh had not presented the issue of water properly. He announced to fight for saving the Indus River and demanded an end to the claim of the Punjab and Islamabad on the Indus River.Awami Tehreek leader Ayaz Latif Palejo said water of the Indus River had been stolen. He said a war over the water issue was expected after the war on terror because of the acute shortage. Abdul Majeed Nizamani, Abrar Qazi, Zulfiqar Halepoto and others also spoke on the occasion.

Courtesy : The News