Opposition to KBD

Editorial

While not a single day passes without President Pervez Musharraf emphasizing the need for more dams, the voices against new water reservoirs are getting louder. On Tuesday in Quetta, while the president repeated his call for the construction of the Kalabagh dam, PPP chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim told a press conference in Karachi that the KBD was “a dead issue” because three constituent units of the federation had rejected it. The fiery speeches made on Tuesday in the National Assembly by PPP MNAs also highlighted in no uncertain terms what one of the two mainstream parties thinks about the dam. Mr Fahim is not only the head of the ARD, which is a grouping of 15 parties, his own party has always enjoyed a large following in Punjab. Thus opposition coming from Mr Fahim should be taken seriously, since his views mean that the anti-dam opinion is not confined to the smaller provinces. Also in Karachi, two days after the president’s consensus-seeking visit, seven “nationalist” parties of Sindh announced the formation of a new united front to strive for “the political, cultural, economic and geographical rights” of Sindh. Rhetoric aside, the Sindhi Qaumi Ittehad (SQI) is Kalabagh-specific. Headed by Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, the SQI leadership includes some respected Sindhi leaders, including Ibrahim Joyo. The Pakistan Oppressed Nations’ Movement, too, has come out categorically against the Kalabagh dam. The government’s own ally, the MQM, is also opposed to the project.Notwithstanding the need for having more water storage capacity and producing more electricity, nothing should be done that could weaken the federal structure. The parties grouped under the SQI may not have a large vote bank, but they are quite capable of sustaining a long campaign. They have already announced a strike for Dec. 20, and it goes without saying that this will not be the last Kalabagh strike. From the president’s statements it appears that the government is determined to go ahead with the project. Given the opposition from the three provinces, it would be unwise to proceed in a hurry. Developing a consensus may take time, and often the task may appear frustrating, but there is no alternative to a national consensus on such a sensitive issue as the Kalabagh dam.

-Dawn

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Balochistan will favour nationalists stand on KBD, says Bugti
DERA BUGTI ( Online, Dec 15): Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) Chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti has said that people of Balochistan will favour Sindh and NWFP nationalists’ stance on the Kalabagh Dam. “Whether the KBD is constructed or not, Balochistan will not get benefit or face loss from it but it will continue favouring nationalists stance on the issue,” he told reporters here Wednesday. Bugti also welcomed the formation of Nationalists grand alliance in Sindh and said that it would bring positive outcomes. He noted that Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan were facing the same problems and “we will continue struggle to get our rights”.

ANP forwards conditional support on KBD

BUNAIR (The Post, Dec 13): The Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday announced conditional support for the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. In return for its support, the party has demanded that the government approve a package of irrigation schemes to develop canals for thousands of acres of dry and rain-irrigated land in the NWFP by utilising the water of the River Kabul. The party’s general secretary, Shakir Bunairi, made the offer while talking to reporters here. About the resolutions passed in the provincial assemblies against the KBD, he said these resolutions were not sacred and could be done away with. He said the people should be directly consulted on this project. If there was a disagreement between the federal government and any province over the issue, the Supreme Court could be asked to give its ruling, he said. Shakir regretted that the political parties had lost much of their value and status that could have form the basis for forging a consensus on the issue.

Govt should not confuse provinces on KBD: Fazl

LAHORE (The Post, Dec 13): Opposition leader in the National Assembly and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur-Rehman Monday said the government should build non-controversial dams instead of confusing provinces over the Kalabagh Dam (KBD) issue.Talking to reporters Monday after a Jamiat Ullema Islam’s Shoora meeting, he said new water reservoirs were necessary but focusing on KBD only was against the country’s interests. He said the opposition was not against KBD but it was dangerous to the country’s solidarity. He said all controversial dams should be constructed after developing a consensus among provinces and the federal government. Talking about the opposition’s participation in the parliamentary committee on reconstruction and rehabilitation, he said the opposition had sent its reservations to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz but no response had been received from him. He went on to say said that the opposition would boycott the committee because the government had failed to remove its reservations.He said the international community took serious notice of the opposition’s boycott of the international donors’ conference. On registration of seminaries till December 30, he said the government should extend the date till June 30, 2006. However he said that the MMA’s Supreme Council meeting would be convened on December 19 to adopt a strategy regarding registration of seminaries. Denying the formation of a forward block in the NWFP Assembly, Fazl said: “Some legislators have complaints against provincial ministers but these would be addressed on the MMA’s platform.” He said a grand alliance of the opposition would emerge very soon, as all the parties were already in contact in this regard. He said the opposition was unanimous that dictatorship would not be tolerated any more. He said that preparations were underway to launch a movement against the government before the 2007 elections.Fazl said that a decision on NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani’s participation in the National Security Council (NSC) meeting would be made after looking at the NSC’s agenda. He said the opposition’s concerns over presence of NATO forces in the quake-hit areas were genuine.

Sindh Qaumi Ittehad against KBD formed
KARACHI ( The Post, Dec 13): Top Sindhi nationalist leaders Monday announced the formation of a Sindh Qaumi Ittehad (SQI) under the leadership of Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, the chairman of the Sindh National Front, to launch a campaign against the construction of Kalabagh Dam.The Sindhi nationalist leaders held an important meeting at the house of Mumtaz Bhutto in Clifton. The meeting that lasted for several hours deliberated on issues like Kalabagh Dam, the NFC Award and the geography and culture of Sindh.After hectic consultations, the Sindhi nationalist leaders agreed to form the new alliance that would voice the Sindhis’ rights. The participants of the meeting elected Mumtaz Bhutto as the chairman of the new alliance. In the first phase, the alliance would launch a contact campaign at the district level.Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Mumtaz Bhutto said the alliance was formed to protect and ensure cultural, economic, political and geographical rights of the province.In the mass-contact campaign that would be launched within two weeks, the alliance leaders would meet prominent political, social and literary personalities, MPAs and nazims to include them in struggle for rights of the Sindh province.The alliance condemned the announcement on the Kalabagh Dam construction despite tough opposition by the three provincial assemblies.To a question, he said all constituent parties would continue their struggle from their own platforms. He however urged them to get together for a general strike on December 20.

KBD against country’s interest: BNP

PESHAWAR (The Post, Dec 13): Leader of Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Senator Sanaullah Baloch has said we have a clear stand on the construction of KBD as we consider it against the interest of country because three provinces have serious reservations on it.Talking to journalists during his short visit to Peshawar Press Club Monday, Baloch said the KBD issue should not be raised in a time when the whole nation was mourning the 8/10 calamity. Asked about the Baloch nationalist’s stance on KBD, he said Balochistan assembly had already passed a resolution with consensus while they had also opposed the project in the PONUM meeting. Commenting on the National Finance Commission Award (NFC), he said decision on the award had been pending for the last 10 years, saying the last three budgets passed in the absence of NFC during the time were unconstitutional. “Under article 160 of the constitution, the federal government is bound to decide the NFC after each five years,” Sanaullah said.