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Express Tribune
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PPP accused of embezzling canal cleaning funds
In a scathing statement issued on Friday, Awami Tehreek (AT) leaders alleged that influential feudal lords affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have misappropriated funds allocated for the desilting and maintenance of canals and distributaries across Sindh, despite clear forecasts of heavy monsoon rains and potential flooding. The party's central president Advocate Vasand Thari, General Secretary Advocate Sajid Hussain Mahesar, and senior leaders condemned what they termed "criminal negligence" by the government. They claimed that no preventive measures had been taken to safeguard vulnerable areas from seasonal disasters. According to the statement, funds earmarked for canal cleaning were allegedly siphoned off by PPP-backed landlords, while embankment repairs were marred by record-breaking corruption. "The funds have been left dangerously weak, increasing the risk of breaches," the leaders warned. The criticism extended to federal and provincial disaster management authorities. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) were accused of preparing to misappropriate relief funds meant for flood victims. "Despite receiving billions in funding, the NDMA has failed to provide even a single rupee in aid to those affected," the statement read. AT leaders further alleged that both federal and provincial governments lack a coherent disaster preparedness strategy. "NDMA has become a failed institution," they said, adding that the agency is staffed primarily by part-time workers, despite the critical need for full-time disaster response professionals. They also criticised the recruitment of personnel from unrelated departments, which they claim has rendered the authority dysfunctional. Calling NDMA a "hub of corruption," the leaders demanded immediate accountability and structural reforms.


Express Tribune
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Awami Tehreek marks death anniversary of Rasool Bux Palijo
The seventh death anniversary of Rasool Bux Palijo, an iconic Sindhi nationalist leader, was marked at a public meeting of the Awami Tehreek (AT), in Thatta on Saturday. The participants echoed chants against corporate farming and the exploitation of Sindh's resources. The event passed a set of 31 resolutions, including the abolition of legislations negating the country's constitution, the implementation of the 1940 resolution and of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's August 11, 1947, speech. The party also demanded aborting the construction of new canals and dams, repealing the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) ordinance, and terminating 'daaku raaj' in Sindh. President AT, Advocate Vasand Thari, reiterated that the province's oppressed people rejected the corporate farming project, and vowed to see schemes like the building of new canals and dams on the Indus River meet the same fate as the controversial Kalabagh dam project. He accused the proponents of such projects of being enemies of Jinnah's envisaged Pakistan, blaming the country's establishment for turning Pakistan into an experimental ground for global imperialist agendas, surrendering the nation's sovereignty to international financial institutions. Meanwhile, President of the Awami Workers Party (AWP), Advocate Akhtar Hussain, deemed Palijo a genius and revolutionary, while Chairman of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party, Farooq Tariq, praised Palijo for his struggle in the service of Sindh and its people. During the event, a group of girls clad in red dresses and wearing ajaraks presented a parade, carrying AT's flag.