President General Pervez Musharraf has sought support of the Sindhi language media for the Kalabagh dam, telling a journalists'' delegation from the province here on Saturday that on completion the project would greatly benefit the people of Sindh. He also asked them to help remove prevalent misgivings among the people of Sindh about "the centre, Punjab and armed forces".
Pakistan needs large water reservoirs for rapid development in agricultural and industrial sectors, the President opined, assuring his visitors that interests of all provinces would be safeguarded while taking decision in this regard.
The technical committee on water reservoirs is expected to submit its report later this month with the very likely verdict that Kalabagh dam should be built at any cost.
Senior representatives of Sindhi press and electronic media have been invited to the capital to muster support for the dam, which has been opposed by the Sindh Assembly in line with legislatures of the NWFP and Balochistan. Only Punjab Assembly wants that the Kalabagh dam should be constructed.
The President stressed that large dams are vital for the country and said "construction of water reservoirs must be viewed taking into account future requirements, as we need both water and energy for our continued development".
"We should not let the country suffer on this account and emphasised that any concerns in this respect would be removed."
The President said Kalabagh and other dams under consideration would not only help save 35 million acres feet of water that goes wasted every year but also avert flood disasters.
On the National Finance Commission Award, the president said it would be judicious and fair, bringing billions of additional funds to small provinces. He said the government has been striving to promote inter-provincial harmony and national integration as part of its seven-point agenda.
The President said Sindh and Balochistan have been allocated more shares in the public sector development programme than Punjab, which deserves appreciation for its sacrifice. The trend reflects his government''s resolve to bringing the under-developed areas at par with developed parts of the country, he said.
The President also favoured greater autonomy for provinces and said the issue of the concurrent list would be sorted out constitutionally and politically.
He paid rich tributes to Pakistan Army for its timely repair of Sukkur barrage, which is the agricultural lifeline of the province. Pakistan Army, he said, is a national institution, having representation from all provinces, including 80,000 officers and personnel from the province of Sindh.
Speaking about the economic turnaround, the President said Pakistan attracted an investment of $1.5 billion in the last financial year, which is likely to increase this year.
The President said he would personally oversee the realisation of primary healthcare, education, electrification, provision of clean drinking water, poverty reduction, price control and generation of employment opportunities at the grassroots level.
He also reiterated Pakistan''s commitment to weeding out extremism from society and said current crackdown against extremists would go ahead.
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