The rally was jointly organised by 19 mainstream and nationalist parties including Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), nationalist parties of Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP including Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Sindh National Front, Awami National Party, Awami Tehrik, Balochistan Nationalist Party (BNP), BNP-M and others.
Participants of the rally, which started at around 2pm, were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the Kalabagh dam, military dictatorship, General Pervez Musharraf and Punjab. They were also holding and waving their respective party flags.
They marched on M.A. Jinnah road while many of them were on board vehicles of all kinds, trucks, motorbikes and reached in front of the passport office at Saddar in one and half hour where the rally was turned into a public gathering and addressed by political leaders.
The Protestors were chanting slogans "KBD unacceptable", "Go Musharraf Go", "Down with Military Dictatorship", "Stop Military Operation in Balochistan", and against Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and other government functionaries.
A delegation of Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) led-by its president Aziz Narejo also participated in the rally.
Strict security measures were adopted by the city administration to thwart any untoward incident and for the protection of people as heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed on roads, route of the rally and the place where it culminated.
Some foreign diplomats also attended the rally as observers while some participants of the rally fired gun shots in the air during their way but on intervention of leaders, the firing was stopped.
Addressing participants at Shahrae Iraq near Sindh High Court, leader of the opposition in Senate Raza Rabbani said people of four provinces had proved today through this mammoth rally that they were against construction of the Kalabagh dam.
He said initiating the issue of controversial project of KBD was aimed at creating rift among people, divert their attention from issues of national importance and ongoing military operation in Balochistan.
"People can't be befool any more in this manner. By participating in this rally in such a large number they have proved they don't want construction of any project which is aimed at only creating rift among them and benefit a handful of landlords," he added.
PPP, Sindh president, Syed Qaim Ali Shah said people were no more ready to trust promises of General Pervez Musharraf and they wanted him to quit the office of President and Chief of the Army Staff as soon as possible and let their elected representatives and leadership to guide them.
He said issue of Kalabagh dam was a matter of life and death for the people of Sindh and NWFP while people of Balochistan had also rejected it and no army in the world could initiate any project against aspirations of the people.
Qaim Ali Shah also criticised ongoing military operation in Balochistan and said conspiracies were being hatched against sovereignty and security of the country by the ruling junta.
ANP leader Senator Asfandyar Wali said people of Sindh and NWFP have shown the military junta that the KBD project and Pakistan could not exist together and announced instead of drowning into water, people of NWFP will prefer to sacrifice lives resisting construction of the dam.
He said people of smaller provinces were being pushed to the wall and compelled to initiate war for their survival, which could lead to separation of smaller provinces from Pakistan.
Former governor of Sindh and PML-N leader Mamnoon Hussain said participation of people from whole rural and urban Sindh proved they were against the KBD, so there was no justification of insisting on any such project.
He said this also proved people had rejected General Pervez Musharraf and military dictatorship in the country.
Renowned Sindhi nationalist and leader of Awami Tehrik Rasool Bux Palejo said General Musharraf only listen to Americans as he has nothing to do with Pakistani people.
"He has handed over country's airports to Americans, handed over scores of Pakistanis to US authorities while the military was fighting for the interests of US in the country and the region," he said, adding all its steps were aimed at pleasing foreign masters.
He said people had no trust on any Constitutional guarantees, as the Constitution can't protect itself and demanded immediate halt to ongoing military operation in Balochistan.
Several other leaders including veteran politician Meraj Muhammad Khan, JUI-F leader Khalid Mehmud Soomro, Jamaat-i-Islami leaders Dr Mumtaz Ali Memon, MNA Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, MPA Nasrullah Shajee, Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STPP) leader Qadir Magsi, Baloch leader Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Mumtaz Bhutto, Ayaz Latif Palejo and other also spoke.