Let CCI decide fate of Kalabagh Dam: Khurshid Shah

Deemed a necessity by many, polarising hydroelectric structure will dam the Indus in Mianwali district

ISLAMABAD: Former leader of opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah on Friday said that the Council of Common Interests should take a final call on Kalabagh Dam.

Referring to a two-year-old petition being heard at the Supreme Court regarding the controversial project, Shah said the apex court should allow the council to look into the issue since three provincial legislatures: the Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assemblies had passed resolutions against the proposed project.

Deemed a necessity by many, the polarising hydroelectric structure will dam the Indus at Kalabagh in Mianwali district. The proposed dam has a 3,600-megawatt power generation capacity.

In April, the top court sought a reply from the federal government over measures taken for the construction of water reservoirs after it began hearing a petition on depletion of existing water reservoirs by 2025.

“Unfortunately Pakistan has suffered due to provincial strife and local politics and we have not built Kalabagh Dam. Kalabagh would be quicker to build and has already been approved by international [lenders]…Pakistan must build at least 20 dams to address water shortages for agriculture and drinking,” the petition read.