LAHORE – Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial directed the federal government to submit in written the objections of all the political parties over the construction of Kalabagh Dam (KBD).
Previously, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had informed the LHC that it had no objection on the construction of KBD and it had already sent its recommendations on the issue to the federal government.
The chief justice heard on Tuesday the petition seeking directions to the government for construction of KBD.
Advancing arguments, petitioner’s counsel AK Dogar said the prime minister was chairman of National Reconciliation Committee (NRC) and he should be directed to address the objections, whatever they are, of all political parties over the construction of KBD.
“The KBD project was started in the Zulfqar Ali Bhutto’s regime, however, its construction has been stopped owing to the strong reservations of two provinces– Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh,” a law officer of federal government informed the chief justice and sought more time to file the reply.
The chief justice of LHC directed the federation’s law officer to submit in written the objections of the political parties on construction of the dam.
The court will resume hearing on August 07.
Petitioner Lawyer Syed Feroze Shah Gillani had submitted that former caretaker chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Wapda ex-chairman Shamsul Mulk said on Oct 9, 2010 that KBD was not an issue of Punjab alone but a matter of the country’s survival that was at stake due to fast depleting water resources.
Petitioner said the KP suffered the most due to delay in construction of the KBD as even after completion of Basha Dam the province would continue to be deprived of additional water.