Daily Times

Dams are being built on Indus river to destroy agriculture economy of Sindh. 16 districts of the province have already been declared calamity hit by Sindh government due to acute shortage of water. Despite this fact building dams on forcibly was aimed to annihilate 60 million Sindhis. Sindh National Tehrik would hold protest demonstration across Sindh against construction of dams after 10th Muharram.

This was stated by chairman Sindh National Tehrik, central leaders Lala Qurban Sodhro,Mir Allahdad Talpur, Najeeb Ahmed Thebo, Dr.Uzma Jokhyo, Jhangi Mallah, Akhtar Sindhi, Dr. Abida Siddiqui, Moona Junejo and others in a joint statement here Saturday. They said 70% of Sindhis have livelihood on agriculture and Indus water was their only source of life. To build dam on river was tantamount to throttle.

They said as India was building dams on rivers violating Indus Basin Treaty, in same way Punjab was trying to build dam on Indus under judicial power contravening Water Accords of 1945 and 1992 which was dangerous for country’s solidarity.

They said Sindhis were not against dams but the dams built so far were without consultation without Sindh and made for cultivating barren lands of Punjab. They said first of all following the water accords between Sindh and Punjab, judicious distribution of water was must and then Sindh be taken into confidence that dams would be built for storage of water with assurance that no dam would be built by stealing Sindh’s share of water.

They said highest judiciary has to take decisions keeping in view interests of all parts of country and must not give impression that it loves only interests of Punjab. They said the efforts to render lands of Sindh barren and to cultivate lands of Punjab through dams was to lay down foundation of  hate and bias between nations of Pakistan. They demand water share of Sindh be provided to eliminate drought. They advised to built small dams to conserve water.

However they announced to organized water moot in Hyderabad after 10 Muharram and then  movement will be launched against dams throughout Sindh.

Published in Daily Times, September 16^th 2018.