However, PML-F lawmakers urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu action against the Lahore High Court ruling on what they termed was a "dead" issue. They also urged the apex court to "control" its subordinate courts and stop them from making such controversial decisions that threatened national unity.
The PML-F, whose lawmakers asked the government to take practical steps to "permanently burry the project", alleged that the ruling party's legislators in the Punjab Assembly supported the dam's constructions. PML-F lawmakers also blamed the federal minister for water and power for "misleading" the court on the issue. They accused the government of being involved in the controversy and called for initiating a probe into the filing of petition in the Lahore High Court.
The Sindh Assembly met with Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in the chair after 20 days amid chaos, as opposition lashed out against the government for undermining the province's interest. Meanwhile, lawmakers belonging to the PPP slammed PML-F members of the assembly for "supporting military dictators and the construction of Kalabagh dam". The house experienced chaos when PPP lawmakers shouted 'shame shame' and many of them rose on their seats, clashing verbally with PML-F legislators.
In the meantime, provincial Minister for Food Nadir Khan Magsi intervened and urged both sides to remain calm, saying that both sides opposed the issue. "Such attitude (only) helps those who want to build the (Kalabagh) dam," he said, warning that allegations against one another "will weaken the unity of both benches".
The first two resolutions were moved by PPP legislators, Dr Sikandar Mandhro and Imran Zafar Laghari, the third was tabled by Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Khalid Ahmed and the fourth one was submitted by PML-F lawmakers, all expressing resentment at the call for building the dam. The debate formally began with Dr Sikandar Mandhro's speech, who said that national unity would be weakened if the dam was built.
Terming the dam detrimental, he said that it had been proven that ecologically, economically, politically and socially the dam's construction was not feasible. He said the upper riparian had no right to stop the river water of lower riparian and called for fining Punjab for building a number of projects on Indus River. He said inter-provincial harmony should be protected by abandoning the project. Imran Zafar Leghari blamed Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif for resurrecting the dam project, creating a political tumult in the country.
"Don't make decision that will break Pakistan," he warned, saying that the issue needed to be ended on a permanent basis. Agreeing with assertions regarding protecting national integrity, Khalid Ahmed feared that such actions would harm the fledgling democracy in the country. He said all political parties in Sindh Assembly had unanimously rejected the dam's construction.
He said the time spent on making the Kalabagh dam viable could have been used for building other projects. He said that the issue was dead forever. Nusrat Sehar Abbasi called for taking practical steps beyond passing a resolution to permanently bury the Kalabagh dam issue.
Urging the government to determine elements behind resurrecting the issue, she said that people involved in filing the Lahore High Court petition should be identified. Criticising the PPP, she said that its Punjab lawmakers supported the dam's construction. She pointed out that federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira had also supported the dam by saying that through consensus, it could be constructed.
She said President Zardari should declare on the floor of the provincial assembly that the Kalabagh dam would not be built. She said that unless practical steps were taken, passing resolutions was of no use. Terming the Kalabagh dam construction a non-issue, Nadir Khan Magsi said he could not think of any Sindhi who would support the project. He said that anyone who wanted to build the dam was Pakistan's enemy. He urged all political parties across the political divide to make co-ordinated efforts against the dam and permanently bury the issue.
When Sindh Archives Minister Muhammad Rafiq Engineer lashed out against the PML-F, it created a rumpus, which continued for quite a while. He implied that PML-F's tacit support to military dictators in the past amounted to supporting the Kalabagh dam. He also hit out at PML-F for supporting the Legal Frame Order during the Musharraf regime.
Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza said that three provincial assemblies - Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhunkhwa - Senate and the National Assembly had opposed the project.
Terming the issue to be beyond the domain of the high court, she said that the dam would render Sindh barren and destroy farming in Khyber Pakhunkhwa's. Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq called it a "conspiracy" of the judiciary against three provinces. He said: "This is the same Lahore High Court which still has blood stains of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...this is a plan to cause infighting among three provinces." He said the dam's construction was also injurious to Punjab.
PML-F's Rana Abdul Sattar appealed to the Supreme Court to take a suo motu action against the LHC ruling on the dam's construction. He also urged the apex court to control lower courts, stopping them from making such controversial verdicts. Sindh Local Government Minister Aga Siraj Durrani also spoke on the issue. Lawmakers of Awami National Party also supported the resolutions. The debate will continue on Friday (today).