Mohmand Dam''s foundation laid: PM heaps praise on ex-CJP for raising awareness

Prime Minister Imran Khan along with former chief justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar Thursday performed the ground-breaking of the much-awaited Mohmand Dam at the project site on Swat River, about five kilometers upstream of Munda Headworks in Mohmand district.
Unprecedented security measures were taken on the occasion. The premier was informed about the salient features of the dam. Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Dr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Federal Minister for Water Resources, Faisal Vawda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Wapda Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), and other senior officials were also present at the ceremony.
Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony, Prime Minister Imran thanked ex-CJP Saqib Nisar for raising awareness about the country''s water crisis and the need to build dams. "Our government had failed in thinking about the future of Pakistan. This led to a chief justice of the country raising an issue which should have been done by the prime minister and government. I want to thank Justice Saqib Nisar for this," the premier said. He announced that government will spend over Rs4 billion on the development of Mohmand district.
The premier reiterated the resolve to help the nation overcome water scarcity. "Water crisis persists nationwide and it is linked to the construction of dams," he said. Imran called out former heads of the states for not showing commitment towards the cause.
"Dams are not built due to fear of elections," he added, implying that construction of dams outlives a single democratic government''s tenure due to which former rules did not pursue the matter at all.
The prime minister elaborated that former governments were ''selective'' in serving their people because they only performed as much as it took to strengthen their vote bank.
"Balochistan and the tribal districts should not have been neglected for constituting a smaller portion of the vote bank," he continued, recounting that the development fund allocated to Punjab was mammoth as opposed to the rest of the country.
Khan said that funds are spent disproportionately in different cities. "Let me just tell you about the Punjab Development Fund. We found out that the previous government was spending Rs70,000 per capita in Lahore, and Rs2,500 per capita in Rajanpur." Some areas were never developed, while Lahore just kept on expanding, he lamented.
He said that he understands the problems of people living in merged districts. "I can understand why people are worried. Sui supplies gas to the entire country, but nothing was done for the development of Sui. The people there suffered the most. We don''t want that to happen again. If a raw material is found in one place, then steps should be taken to develop that area for the benefit of its people."
He remarked that a foreign-funded project is being carried out in the country to incite people in tribal areas. "A conspiracy has been planned. We need to help the people living in merged districts."
On the ongoing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the premier maintained that it was a ray of hope for the country. "We have to elevate impoverished areas as well as the rest of Pakistan," he said.
Among other prevailing conditions, Imran named lack of healthcare facilities and increasing unemployment as growing concerns.
The prime minister also thanked the people for contributing in the dam fund. He said China has built thousands of dams of which 5,000 were larger than Tarbela and Mangla dams in Pakistan.
Imran Khan said underground level of water in Pakistan has gone down to alarming levels and the dams were the only way to meet the demand. He said the Chinese experts laced with modern technology would also assist the Pakistani engineers to complete the project.
The prime minister said he realizes the problems facing the tribal areas more than any other prime minister who have come to power. He said the government would convince all the federating units to provide funds for the development of tribal areas from their share of NFC Award.
Highlighting the importance of development of tribal areas, he said war has destroyed shops and animals of local people depriving them of means of earning. He was of the view that apathy towards unemployed youth can lead to disastrous consequences for the entire country.
Resolving to fix the country''s economic issues, he said, "There cannot be investment in any country until there is peace. People want to invest in Pakistan because they think there is peace here. Unemployment will begin to decrease when there is investment in the country."
The prime minister said underdeveloped areas of the country including the tribal belt had been left behind due to the failure of past governments in planning for the future and beyond their five-year terms in office.
"China has progressed because its leadership does not think about winning the election, rather it thinks about planning for the future of the country."
PM said that the opposition parties have joined hands to save themselves from accountability but he won''t give them any sort of relief despite all their efforts. The premier said that "let them do whatever they can I wont give them NRO.
Former chief justice Saqib Nisar also addressed the ceremony and highlighted the nation''s generous contribution towards the dam fund. Emphasising the importance of building dams, he said: "Water is our life."
"The Supreme Court hasn''t done a favour to any one [since it initiated the dam fund]. It [the dam] has become a campaign and a movement," he said.
"I am hopeful, because of the manner in which you worked and the will and resolve with which the chairman Wapda worked, that the dam will be completed within the stipulated time and budget," he asserted.
It is pertinent to mention here that The Mohmand dam is being constructed on Swat River and will be completed at a cost of over Rs183 billion by 2024. Mohmand Dam on completion will generate 800-megawatt electricity with a storage capacity of over two million acre-feet, besides bringing about 17,000 acres barren land under cultivation. The dam will also solve the problem of water scarcity in Mohmand district besides saving Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera districts from floods.
The residents of Peshawar will get 300 million gallons of potable water, whereas issue of water scarcity in Mohmand district would be resolved. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs52 billion. The project aims at helping mitigate risk of floods in Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera and Mardan.