CHARSADDA/PESHAWAR: Reiterating strong opposition to the construction of Kalabagh Dam, Awami National Party provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Tuesday declared the project a conspiracy to ‘sink’ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa instead of being a reservoir.

“The Kalabagh Dam will be disastrous for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan, so its construction will never be allowed,” he said at a relief camp established by the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement in Charsadda for the victims of a recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

ANP provincial leader Hamid Toofan, district general secretary Shehzaduddin and leader Mian Rahim Bacha were also present.

Mr Hussain said that the people who opposed the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the renaming of the province were playing politics in the name of dams.

Insists project will ‘sink’ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

He said that the real solution to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s water woes lied in Mohmand, Dasu and Bhasha dams and not Kalabagh Dam.

“Had the Kalabagh Dam existed during the 2010 floods, the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have been submerged and the destruction would have multiplied many times,” he said.

The ANP leader said that large dams were dangerous and could cause devastation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, so small dams should be built.

He added that even in major countries like China, small dams were constructed.

Criticising the Saifullah family, Mr Hussain said that Saleem Saifullah, Javed Saifullah, Anwar Saifullah, Kulsoom Bibi and Usman Saifullah all held government positions but failed to achieve anything notable for the people of Lakki Marwat.

“Before questioning others, Saifullahs should examine their own acts and answer the people,” he said.

The ANP leader said that since the creation of Pakistan, Punjab had monopolised water, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not even getting its full share.

He said that under the 1991 Water Accord, the province received only 14 per cent of water but due to a lack of canal system, it was unable to utilise even that share.

“Vast areas could be irrigated through dams in Nowshera and Peshawar,” he said.

He claimed that government reports had highlighted that Kalabagh Dam would be destructive for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan, so the ANP would never accept it and would continue its struggle against it.

Mr Hussain said that for earthquake victims in Afghanistan, his party had set up relief camps across the province, so people should actively participate in the noble cause of relief.

He said that the repatriation of Afghan refugees should be “paused” on humanitarian grounds to ease their difficulties.

The ANP leader said that better Pak-Afghan relations were the need of the hour as they would help eliminate terrorism.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2025