Pakistan: Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party rejects dam project over Indus River

Dr Qadir Magsi, Chief of Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) in Pakistan has clearly rejected Imran Khan government's proposal of a water project over the Indus River and said the river was a jugular vein of the people of Sindh and hence could be accepted.

Speaking at the 30th "Madr-i-Watan" programme of his party at Pakistan's Hyderabad bypass on Thursday night, the party chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi said that no water project over the Indus River, which was a jugular vein of the people of Sindh, could be accepted.

He also rejected the proposed proforma for the upcoming census in which outsiders "settled in Sindh from abroad and from within the country" were to be counted among a local population.

"Even (former prime minister) Benazir Bhutto had tried to build Kalabagh dam by rephrasing it as 'Indus dam' but people of Sindh rejected it as well," he said and recalled that Sindh had rejected this project during the Musharraf regime.

But now Imran Khan wanted to teach people of Sindh about benefits of Kalabagh dam, he remarked. "Imran Khan has lost his commonsense and that's why he is coming to Sindh to educate us about Kalabagh dam. Indus (river) guarantees our right to life," he said.

Dr Qadir Magsi reminded the Prime Minister that three assemblies had already rejected the dam project.

He said that Sindhis would never agree to a non-Sindhi Chief Minister because it was their right to rule over Sindh. "Asif Zardari is disloyal to Sindh ... we dislike him," he said.

It would be the last fight if Sindhis were converted to a minority in this province and a non-Sindhi becomes the CM to snatch Sindhis' right to rule over their province, he warned.

"Sindhis are not against Pakistan ... they feel frightened whenever there is an attempt to weaken Pakistan and that's why we link our survival with Pakistan," he said.

The STP chief also said that he believed Sindh would witness a civil war in case any harm came to Pakistan.

( With inputs from ANI )