Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday urged the federal government to complete the Diamer-Bhasha Dam at the earliest, describing the project as a national necessity.
“It [Diamer-Bhasha Dam] is not only Diamer people’s right, but also Pakistan’s need,” he said while addressing an election rally in Diamer.
Bilawal criticised India’s violation of Indus Waters Treaty, saying that the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using water as a tool of terrorism.
“No other project is more important than Diamer-Bhasha Dam,” he said, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to show “Shehbaz speed” in the completion of the project at the earliest.
The Diamer-Bhasha dam is a 4,500-megawatt project with an estimated cost of $15 billion and is expected to be one of the largest dams in the world after completion.
The project, viewed as positive stimulus for Pakistan’s economy, will irrigate 1.2 million acres of agricultural land while extending the life of Tarbela Dam by 35 years.
Addressing the participants, Bilawal urged voters in Gilgit-Baltistan to elect a PPP chief minister in the June 7 elections, saying the party continued to enjoy public trust.
He claimed the PPP had secured the highest number of votes in the previous GB elections but was deprived of nine seats.
The PPP chairman also highlighted the political legacy of former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, saying they had worked for the rights of underprivileged segments of society.
Referring to his mother’s assassination, Bilawal said some elements had believed there would be no leadership after her death.
Bilawal praised President Asif Ali Zardari, saying he continued to raise his voice for the people after Bhutto’s assassination.
He credited President Zardari with the launching of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), saying he had not forgotten the people of GB.
Bilawal reiterated that he wanted the region to benefit from the 18th Amendment, saying a stronger GB would contribute to Pakistan’s overall economic progress.
Highlighting the PPP government’s record in Sindh, he said the province had expanded healthcare services following the 18th Amendment.
“We have built a network of hospitals in Sindh and kept medicines, operations and transplants free,” Bilawal said, adding that the PPP would make similar healthcare facilities available in GB.
The PPP chairman also spoke about foreign military bases in the past, saying that facilities previously used by other countries had been closed under a PPP-led government.
According to Bilawal, the PPP government shut down all foreign military bases and “bade farewell to the guests”, listing it among the PPP’s major achievements.
In an apparent reference to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, Bilawal criticised assertions that the former premier had said “absolutely not” to foreign military bases, saying the bases had been closed beforehand.