Expressing its resentment over the verdict of the Lahore High Court, the Sindh Assembly on Friday adopted another resolution against the Kalabagh Dam unanimously, demanding the federal government abandon the project forever, terming it against the sovereignty of Pakistan.After fury speeches against the dam project, all the legislators of the Sindh Assembly stood up and voiced in favour of the four resolutions tabled by the MPAs and rejected the Kalabagh Dam outright.This was the fourth resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly against the Kalabagh Dam as three resolutions were adopted in 1990, 1994 and 1996 during the PPP governments. Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, moving a motion, urged the chair to defer question-hour and other business to start discussion on the four resolutions against the Kalabagh Dam. Keeping aside their political divide, the members of the Sindh Assembly stood united and expressed their anger against the dam, passing all the four resolutions unanimously.

Each of the four resolutions condemned the resurrection of the controversial dam project.The MPAs of the Sindh Assembly unanimously resolved that the issue or even the idea of constructing the Kalabagh Dam was tantamount to the destruction of the foundations of the national cohesion and the provincial fraternity.In the resolutions, the Sindh lawmakers condemned Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and others who have been supporting the Kalabagh Dam, recommending the Sindh government to vehemently oppose the controversial project at all levels, adding it was not acceptable in any case to the people of the province. The MPAs said the Kalabagh Dam was detrimental to the unity of Pakistan with the most dangerous repercussions on Sindh. Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro announced that all the four resolutions had been passed as the text and language of each resolution rejected and condemned the dam.

Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said it seemed the big brother (Punjab), by taking up a dead issue, was trying to start a fight on water among the people. He said the verdict of the Lahore High Court in favour of Kalabagh Dam had saddened the Sindhis.Earlier, starting the discussion on the resolutions, Adviser to CM on Finance Murad Shah, who is not a member of the Sindh Assembly, traced the history and said the Punjab had been doing injustices to the Sindh province by depriving it of its water share. Shah said the One-Unit had been imposed only to snatch the water rights of the Sindh province.

He rejected allegations of the opposition parties regarding allocation of funds for Kalabagh Dam in 1973 and 1989 by the then PPP governments, claiming the PPP had never earmarked a single penny for the project which his party believed against Pakistan.Without taking the name of Masroor Jatoi of NPP, the finance adviser said the then irrigation minister who was an MPA in the sitting Sindh Assembly had signed the 1991 Water Accord, including the controversial Greater Thal Canal in the accord. “The irrigation secretary sent a summary to the then chief minister to take up the issue with the federal government for excluding the controversial project from the water accord, but the then secretary to the CM, (Imtiaz Shaikh) had not forwarded the summary to the CM, Murad Shah alleged. He showed an agreement signed during the government of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, under which the flow of water in Chashma Jhelum Link Canal was conditional with the approval of the Sindh chief minister, but the then Punjab governor Lt-Gen Jilani got the water released into the canal forcibly and illegally, he added.

PML-F’s parliamentary leader Jam Madad demanded the PPP government abandon the Kalabagh project through legislation. Ms Heer Soho of MQM condemned the PML-N over supporting Kalabagh Dam and asked Sindhi nationalist parties to seek explanation from Nawaz Sharif. She warned the people of Sindh would not allow Nawaz to enter Sindh if he did not take clear stance of rejecting the dam.Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said the death sentence verdict against Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had come from the Lahore High Court. Now the same court had given the verdict to build the dam which had been rejected by the three provinces, he regretted.

He alleged the PML-N leadership was behind the move of resurrection of Kalabagh Dam, which was condemnable. He added the prime minister had categorically stated that Pakistan was dearer than Kalabagh Dam. Lashing out at the Sindhi nationalists, Memon said the PPP had all the cards to safeguard the interests of all the four provinces.Humera Alwani said the Nawaz government had shelved Keti Bandar and Thar Coal projects only to prove his enmity with the Sindh province. Amanullah Mehsood of ANP said no patriotic Pakistani could support the Kalabagh Dam project. Later, the speaker prorogued the session for indefinite period.