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• Says no project more important for Pakistan than Diamer-Bhasha dam
• Calls on PM to show ‘Shehbaz speed’
DIAMER: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday vowed to address the resettlement concerns of those affected by the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam on an “immediate basis” if his party emerges victorious in the June 7 polls.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari made the pledge while addressing a rally in Diamer, as the PPP and other political parties ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the elections.
He claimed the project had seen “great progress” during the PPP’s tenure, adding that had President Asif Ali Zardari’s government not been removed in 2013, the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would have been completed by now.
The PPP chairman lamented that people affected by the project had not had their resettlement issues addressed.
“I would like to promise you that after June 7 — when PPP forms government in GB — we will ensure that the work is completed and, as far as resettlement is concerned, we will address it on an immediate basis,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said.
He urged the Centre to prioritise construction of the dam, saying it was not only the right of the people of Diamer but also a necessity for Pakistan.
“No project is more important for Pakistan at the moment than the Diamer-Bhasha Dam,” he said, calling on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to expedite work on the project.
“We have heard of your ‘Shehbaz speed’ in Lahore. Please show your ‘Shehbaz speed’ to the people of Diamer as well and ensure that the project is completed,” he quipped.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari claimed that the PPP was the only political party looking after the interests of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and enjoying their trust.
Outlining the PPP’s contributions to the region, he recalled that it was President Zardari who “gave GB its current identity”, as it was previously referred to as “Northern Areas”.
Referring to the regional crisis, he said Pakistan needed a government “like the PPP that can look the world in the eye”, adding that the party could do so because it was the “true representative of the Pakistani people”.
The PPP chairman reiterated his support for “securing GB’s constitutional rights,” stressing that Islamabad must understand that “Pakistan can only prosper if the people of GB prosper”.
He vowed that with the party’s public-private partnership initiatives, “not only will you fulfil your own energy requirements but also sell it to the rest of the country”.
He also took a jibe at the ruling ally PML-N, wondering why the “rest of the political parties campaigning in GB looked so worried”.
“Throwing money at things might work in Lahore, but not in GB; the people here are honourable and cannot be bought,” he said.
He recalled that President Zardari was responsible for the 18th Amendment, which enabled greater provincial development.
“If they were able to build metros or run trains in any city, it was because of the 18th Amendment and the NFC Award, which enabled provinces to secure the resources needed for such development projects,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari said.
First Lady Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari also addressed an election rally in the region, calling on people to support the PPP and stressing that the party’s electoral symbol, the arrow, was “a symbol of rights, betterment, power and hope for the poor, and the identity of democracy”.
Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026
