The failure of the authorities to compensate majority of Tarbela dam victims has prompted NGOs working in the area to vigorously pursue their cause of more than 110,000 displaced persons.
To highlight their sufferings, the Sungi Development Foundation and Samaji Tanzeem Mutasirin Terbela (SMT) have jointly organised a one-day national conference here on Wednesday last.
More than 30 years have passed, but a large number of dam victims, who lost their livelihood, are still awaiting compensation. About 130 villages were completely or partially submerged after construction of dam, displacing more than 110,000 persons.
A long struggle of the Tarbela Dam victims for a just and fair compensation of their outstanding claims continued. Although the advocacy campaign, including letters, local resistance and press statements resulted in some announcements and compensation packages by the World Bank, the officials concerned have hardly tried to make this the process transparent and consultative.
As a consequence, an overwhelming majority of the affected people have rejected the recent compensation as being insufficient and inappropriate after more than three-decade of sufferings and miseries.
It calls for a co-ordinated and concerted advocacy campaign by the Tarbela victims, and all concerned to bring an end to the miseries and hardships of so many families. It would require support and solidarity among the Tarbela victims, civil society organisations and other groups.
Thereby, Samaji Tanzeem Mutasirin Tarbela (SMT) and Sungi Development Foundation are jointly convening a one-day national conference for Tarbela victims.
The conference provides an opportunity to bring together the victims, who are compelled to reside in different parts of country as a result of the dam construction), parliamentarians, the interested groups and concern stakeholders.