GILGIT: A federal committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the concerns of people affected by the Diamer Basha Dam on Tuesday vowed to resolve their genuine issues.

The assurance came as the ongoing protest sit-in in Chilas entered its 52nd day.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the protest committee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today (Wednesday) to seek a comprehensive and amicable resolution to the standoff.

A crucial meeting of the federal committee, chaired by Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam, was held in Islamabad.

It was attended by Federal Minister for Water Resources Moin Wattoo, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, Chief Secretary Abrar Ahmed Mirza, Wapda Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani, Secretary for Kashmir Affairs Zafar Hassan, Additional Secretary Kamranur Rehman and Joint Secretary of the GB Council Sudhir Khattak.

The meeting discussed the ongoing protest movement in Chilas, where locals affected by the dam project have continued a sit-in, demanding the implementation of a 31-point charter of demands. The committee expressed commitment to addressing these issues in line with the prime minister’s directives.

Mr Muqam said the development of Gilgit-Baltistan and the fair use of its resources for the well-being of its people remained a top priority for the federal government.

The protest, directed primarily at the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), has focused on compensation, employment opportunities and the regularisation of workers. Protest leaders briefly reopened the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on Monday until negotiations with the federal government but warned that they would intensify the demonstration if their demands remained unmet.

Sources said a deadlock persisted between the protesters and the federal committee despite two rounds of talks. Protest representatives reportedly demanded the resolution of key issues, including compensation for 18,000 acres of acquired land, household assessments based on the 2025 survey, appointments for local people in dam-related jobs, the regularisation of contingent and daily wage employees, and a timeline for addressing all pending issues.

The government’s committee, however, offered to resolve only some issues immediately and sought more time to address the core demands, urging an end to the sit-in. Protest leaders have insisted that the sit-in will not end until major issues are resolved.

A delegation of the protest committee, led by Maulana Hazratullah, left Chilas for Islamabad on Tuesday and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today (Wednesday) to discuss the issue.

Recently, Minister Amir Muqam had claimed that Rs151 billion had already been paid as compensation for land acquisition. However, Maulana Hazratullah rejected this, saying only Rs75bn had been disbursed for land and infrastructure losses.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025