-- Demands of affected people should be fulfilled by February 10
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, the elected members of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly from the district Diamer, where the dam is being built said that they would resist if government did not fulfil the charter of demands forwarded by the affectees.
The members included PML-Q Bashir Ahmed Khan, PML-N member Haji Janbaz Khan, JUI members Haji Gulbar Khan and Rehmat Khalique. They further demanded of the federal government to constitute an Arbitration Commission to settle the dispute over the boundary between Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan and Bhasha district of NWFP. They demanded that the affectees should be given compensation according to the market rates of any settled area other than the 15 percent forced displacement allowance. Besides, complete availability of health, education and other civic facilities.
Bashir Ahmed Khan said that despite huge losses to the district after construction of the dam, the people of Diamer have allowed to build the dam aimed at rescuing the country from energy crisis. He lamented that the Wapda has turned a deaf ear on the demands of the affected people, which were forwarded to the Prime Minister through a unanimous resolution of the previous Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly.
He said that due to the intervention of the elected members, the affected people have temporarily ended the protest and gave a new deadline of February 10. He said that if the demands were not fulfilled till the deadline they would increase the rate of their compensation.