Diamer-Bhasha Dam affected people’s longstanding issues near resolution

GILGIT: A significant breakthrough has been achieved in resolving the longstanding issues of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam affected people as a high-level committee finalised recommendations to address the grievances of the affected communities.

The committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam.

Read more: Diamer-Bhasha dam, mining initiatives highlight SIFC’s $28 billion investment push

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, and WAPDA Chairman Lieutenant General (retd) Sajjad Ghani. Secretary Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Saifur Rehman, Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Abrar Ahmed Mirza, and Secretary Water Resources Syed Ali Murtaza also participated in the meeting.

Representatives of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam affected people were also present in the meeting. During the meeting, both sides finalised and formally signed.

Engineer Amir Muqam, speaking at the conclusion of the meeting, thanked all committee members and the affected people, saying that this was a historic moment and the real success would be the implementation of these recommendations.

Muqam added that the committee had unanimously proposed concrete and actionable steps to resolve the issues of the affected people, which would now be presented to the Prime Minister for approval.

Audit finds over Rs225bn irregularities in Diamer-Basha Dam project

He said that the legitimate demands of the protesters had been accepted and the issue would be resolved amicably. The Federal Minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had given clear directives to resolve the issue on a permanent basis.

Muqam termed it a major success for the affected people’s committee representatives. Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo also congratulated the committee members on this occasion.

Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan hailed it as a significant success and good news for the entire country, particularly Gilgit-Baltistan.

The affected people’s committee thanked Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam and all committee members for their cooperation.

In a statement, G-B Government Spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said that due to the efforts of Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan and his team, the federal government has accepted the demands of the Diamer-Basha Dam affected people, and a 2025 agreement has been finalised between the parties.

The spokesperson appreciated the role of affected people’s leader Maulana Hazratullah and the local ulema in leading the peaceful struggle for their rights.

Faizullah Faraq added that the 31-point document of demands has been made actionable and given legal shape through the recommendations of the Federal Ministerial Committee.

The spokesperson mentioned that the Dam Committee leader Maulana Hazratullah has termed the agreement a victory for the affected people and thanked the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, cabinet members, and the federal government.

The spokesperson highlighted that the agreement includes payment of outstanding bills, provision of plots for affected people, CB schemes, provision of employment through Graduate Alliance agreement, provision of agricultural land, and other key points.

Read more: Chilas sit-in for Diamer-Bhasha Dam compensation enters 7th day

The agreement comes after a two-month-long sit-in protest by the affected people in Chilas and month-long negotiations between the government and the affected people.