KARACHI - More than 52,000 people have voted for the construction of Kalabagh Dam in last four days of an online poll organised by Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqqiqi (MQM) to muster support of masses for construction of a vital water reservoir.
MQM-Haqqiqi Chairman Afaq Ahmed has announced to conduct the online poll on his party website in favour of construction of Kalabagh Dam in the country to meet shortage of power crises in the country.
Thousands of people have visited the party website www.mohajir.com.pk in last four days to cast their vote for online poll on the construction of Kalabagh dam.
About 98 percent people have cast their votes in support of the construction of Kalabagh dam, which was opposed by the nationalist parties of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Afaq appealed to the people to support construction of Kalabagh Dam for better future of the country. With its construction, electricity will be provided on cheaper rates, industrial growth and control over the flood disaster in the country.
Talking to The Nation, Afaq said that his party had supported construction of Kalabagh Dam and termed as essential to take over energy crisis in the country but we are conducting a poll for construction of Kalabagh Dam.
He further said that massive participation of the people in the poll has endorsed our party stance for construction of Kalabagh Dam.
“Kalabagh Dam is necessary for the stability of Pakistan and to resolve energy crises.” He said that the opponents of Kalabagh Dam had obtained Rs 5 billion every year for continuously opposing its construction.
He stated that India has already constructed 16 dams on Indus River to store the water but forces opposing the construction of Kalabagh Dam in Pakistan are lulled over it.
He added that India is not only constructing new dams on our rivers but also seeking loan from the IMF and the World Bank just to ‘legitimise’ its act but we were yet to make any such decision which could address the power issue for good or for a longer period.
Afaq said the prevailing electricity crisis in the country was the result of absence of any major water reservoir in the country.
“It is not fair to shelve the Kalabagh Dam project just for having prejudices against Punjab. Industrial growth is not possible in the country in the present shortage of power,” he added.
He claimed that thousands of textile and industrial units of the country has been shifted aboard because of insecurity and shortage of electricity in the country, saying that it’s the need of the hour to address the shortage of power.
He informed that hundreds of thousands of people had unemployed in the country from last few years because of closure of industrial units.
Afaq Ahmed said that our region was also expected to receive heavy rains in next 10 to 15 years but we were not ready to tackle such possible situation.
For the purpose, he added, we should not ignore construction of Kalabagh Dam.