KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government has won the support of Sindh-based parties by announcing that the Kalabagh Dam project is being discarded forever.

This simple announcement has made some of the sub-nationalists foresee a realignment of political parties. But some are unsure of the validity of the statement by the federal minister for water and power.

“We welcome the disbanding of the Kalabagh Dam project. Whoever backs the controversial KBD project should be denounced,” said Dr Qadir Magsi, chairman of the Sindh Progressive Party, on Wednesday.

“We and the PML-N were allies in the APDM but PML-N statements in favour of the Kalabagh Dam project will cost them support from Sindh,” said Ali Hassan Chandio, vice chairman of the SPP.

Answering a question, he said, it was natural that new political alignments come into being from a changing political situation. He vowed that his party would be aligned with pro-democracy parties in any case.

He said that the PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi had opposed the PPP government’s decision to disband the KBD project and thus he has earned the opposition of the entire province.

Amir Bhambhro, chief of the Sindh National Party, said that it was the fruit of 60 years of struggle and the credit went to both the strugglers and the PPP government. “Now Nawaz Sharif should also make a clear announcement that he opposes the KBD project. Whoever stands with us, against anti-Sindh projects, we shall support them,” said Bhambhro. He disagreed with the idea that a new alignment should come into existence, and said that Sindh-based parties should not play into the hands of others.

“It’s an immature political mindset to sometimes follow the Jamaat-e-Islami and sometimes stand behind Nawaz Sharif. Sindh’s well-wishers should keep Sindh’s interests in mind before joining any alliance,” he exhorted. Hamsafar Gadahi, an expert on Sindh affairs, was skeptical about the legal validity of the statement made by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, federal minister for water and power. daily times

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