Jahangir Akhtar initiates hunger strike to press of construction of dams

Islamabad:  Social and political activist Raja Jahangir Akhtar on Thursday started token hunger strike to press for construction of mega dams without which Pakistan will remain highly insecure.

He says that clause 2 of the Article 161 of the Constitution is barring construction of dams including Kalabagh dam as it allows profit of the dam to the province where the power generation plant is located. This clause is discriminatory as the province that sacrifices lakhs of acres for catchments didn’t get anything.

Talking to SVP of Chamber for Small Traders Qazi Ilyas, President of Jinnah Super Market Ijaz Abbasi, President Karachi Company Raj Muhammad Abbasi and others who came to express solidarity with him, he said that the said clause has become biggest hurdle.

Jahangir Akhtar said that the issues can be resolved through an amendment which allows profit of any dam to the province which sacrifices huge tracts of land and not the province which gives a small piece of land for the power station otherwise country will become desert.

He asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of the opposition Khurshid Shah and PTI Chief Imran Khan to present amendment bill in the National Assembly in the larger national otherwise he will start hunger strike unto death from Tuesday Dec 04. Masses and different political parties will never accept construction of mega reservoirs unless the equitable and fair distribution of net profits earned from the generation of electricity through hydro-power, he said.