ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court-mandated committee overseeing the landmark Diamer Basha Dam on Tuesday urged local communities and provincial authorities to remove construction hurdles and fast-track land acquisition, warning that further delays threaten the country’s water, food and energy security.
The meeting of the Implementation Committee held on Diamer Basha and Mohmand Dams (ICDBMD), chaired by Wapda Chairperson Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Saeed, reviewed two critical tracks of the project: unresolved compensation disputes for displaced residents, including the contested ‘Missing and Double Chula (Household) Packages’, and progress on a 2025 agreement between the federal government and the Diamer Ulema Committee aimed at ensuring unhindered construction activity at the site.
Gen Saeed reaffirmed Wapda’s commitment to implementing the 2025 agreement in letter and spirit, but stressed that cooperation must flow both ways. He called on locals to become long-term partners in the project, urged the Gilgit-Baltistan administration to accelerate land mutation and acquisition processes, and asked the ‘Haqooq Do Dam Banao Committee’ to educate residents on the project’s lasting economic benefits rather than impeding its execution.
Officials also reviewed leftover land issues, boundary disputes along the right bank of the Indus River, the Ginni Pozzolan matter, and the Tangir Hydropower Project. Commissioner Diamer Astore briefed the committee on compliance with decisions from the previous meeting, while GM (Land Acquisition and Resettlement) Wapda updated participants on outstanding acquisition challenges.
Constituted by the Supreme Court in July 2018 to ensure early commencement and timely completion of both dams, the ICDBMD convenes at regular intervals to resolve bottlenecks.
On completion, Diamer Basha Dam will store 8.1 million acre-feet of water across the Indus River and generate 4,500 megawatts of clean electricity, which Pakistani officials say is vital to stabilizing the national economy.
The meeting was attended by the chief secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan; the joint secretary (budget) from the Finance Division; the senior member of the Board of Revenue Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and the additional secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Also present were the secretary (planning & development) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the deputy secretary (economic affairs) from the Prime Minister’s Office, and the chief water (planning, development & special initiatives).
Representatives from the local administration and water authorities also participated, including the commissioner of Hazara Division; the commissioner of Diamer Astore Division, the member (water) of Wapda; the secretary of Wapda; the general manager/project director of the Diamer Basha Dam Project; the general manager (land acquisition & resettlement) of Wapda; and the general manager/project director of the Mohmand Dam Project. Chairperson of the Ulema Committee Moulana Hazrat Ullah; the deputy commissioner of Diamer; and other officers concerned with the projects also participated in the meeting.
