PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party and the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) have criticised Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for his recent statement regarding the construction of Kalabagh dam and stated that supporting such a controversial project is unimaginable.

“Three provincial assemblies in the country have passed unanimous resolutions against the Kalabagh dam project,” the QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao told a press conference at Watan Kor here on Tuesday.

Sikandar Sherpao said the Kalabagh dam issue was like a dead horse as work was underway on the Mohmand and Diamer-Bhasha dams and these projects were supposed to be completed in 2027 and 2030 respectively.

He added that the QWP had opposed the construction of the controversial Kalabagh dam at every forum and would do so in the future as well. “We will oppose this issue tooth and nail,” he vowed.

Flay Gandapur’s remarks

“Pakistan is a federation and raising such controversial issues will undermine it,” he remarked. However, he said that some lobbies were raising such controversial issues to maintain their hegemony, which was harmful for the federation.

Expressing sorrow over the floods devastation in the Punjab, he asked the federal government to help mitigate the difficulties of the affected population.

However, he explained that the floods that hit Punjab had nothing to do with Kalabagh dam project. He said Ravi and Sutlej rivers surge caused flooding in the Punjab.

He said that it was the KP chief minister who raised the issue of the Kalabagh dam during a briefing attended by the prime minister in Islamabad on the construction of reservoirs in the country.

He said that the chief minister was trying to divert attention from the issues facing the province. “The chief minister is enjoying power but he is least bothered to safeguard the interests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

He said that the worsening law and order, mega corruption scandals and poor governance had plagued the province.

The QWP leader also expressed concern over the loss of lives in the recent earthquake in Afghanistan that left hundreds dead and injured Meanwhile, the ANP central president, Senator Aimal Wali Khan, in a statement stated that ANP’s opposition to the Kalabagh Dam was not based on emotions but on solid arguments and statistics from the state institutions.

He emphasised that the nation should focus on finding a permanent solution to the water crisis instead of being misled by false promises.

The ANP lawmaker said that the Kalabagh Dam project was not feasible and would not provide cheap electricity or help control floods.

He suggested that if the government wanted to build a dam, it should consider the Bhasha Dam project, which was more feasible and could generate more electricity.

AimalWali Khan emphasised the need for provinces to have control over their resources and prioritise the development of their regions.

He accused the government of trying to divert attention from corruption and other issues by raising the issue of the Kalabagh Dam.

He alleged that such statements were always made to divert attention from real issues and corruption.

Aimal Wali Khan said the nation had already buried the Kalabagh Dam project, and no one could revive it.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2025