Web Desk(National Times)- The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) showed signs of division over the long-standing and politically contentious Kalabagh Dam project, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur publicly reiterated his support for its construction. Speaking to the media, Gandapur said: \u201cI am in favour of the Kalabagh Dam. It should be built. Build consensus, address the concerns of the provinces, and construct the Kalabagh Dam.\u201d He also urged a national dialogue on the project, urging the media to play a constructive role in initiating debate. \u201cThink not in terms of politics, but of the state. Pakistan needs the Kalabagh Dam. Smaller dams cannot be an alternative to the Kalabagh Dam. Initiate a debate on national consensus regarding the Kalabagh Dam. The media should help. Personally, I am in favour of creating more provinces, but we must see whether they can stand on their own feet,\u201d Gandapur added. KP CM further said that the issue in Kalabagh is limited to one district and belongs to the Awami National Party (ANP).\u00a0 “Aimal Wali said, ‘our generations will not allow the dam to be built. The Kalabagh Dam will be built over our dead bodies’, but I would like to tell Aimal Wali that this is Pakistan\u2019s issue. What do the dead bodies and generations have to do with it?\u201d Gandapur also supported the creation of new provinces, saying that governance would improve with smaller provincial units. \u201cSmall units are formed in countries around the world. Pakistan is the only country that is running on four provinces with such a large population,\u201d he said. Regarding dams, he said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is going to build two dams on its own. \u201cThink about why Sindh repeatedly floods. Is the water allocated to Sindh being fully utilised? If Sindh believes it will be left thirsty, let\u2019s sit together and decide. Everything can be resolved. If we sit with Sindh, we will give them a larger share of our water. Sindh\u2019s politicians are constrained by their politics.\u201d However, PTI central leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser did not really concur with KP chief minister\u2019s support for the Kalabagh Dam, and termed it as his personal opinion.\u00a0 He said that Gandapur’s comments should not be considered as party policy. \u201cI wanted to make it clear that it was Ali Amin Khan\u2019s personal opinion to support the Kalabagh dam as it\u2019s the party\u2019s (PTI) policy. We don\u2019t consider that we need Kalabagh dam, and small dams can be constructed,\u201d Qaiser said in a statement that he posted on his \u2018X\u2019 handle. The former National Assembly speaker said that KP CM’s native town (Dera Ismail Khan) needs a big project such as Chashma Right Bank Canal, which can help water requirements and also store water for future use. \u201cI think controversial issues should not be discussed unnecessarily,\u201d the PTI leader opined. Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside the Adiala Jail, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan endorsed Gandapur\u2019s stance on the Kalabagh Dam, after a long meeting with PTI founder. Barrister Gohar said that construction of dams in the country is unavoidable, but it must be done with consensus. He said that the recent floods have drawn a new map of the country, and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has also emphasised consensus on the issue of canals. According to him, natural disasters cannot be prevented, but measures must be taken to mitigate their effects. He stressed that dams are necessary, but they should be built with national agreement. Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja clarified that recent remarks made by KP CM Gandapur in support of the Kalabagh Dam do not represent the official stance of the PTI.\u00a0 Speaking to the media, Raja emphasised that “there are still concerns regarding the Kalabagh Dam in both Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” He stressed the importance of political harmony and mutual satisfaction among provinces before any major national project is undertaken. Meanwhile, major political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), ANP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF), have rejected Gandapur\u2019s recent remarks about the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. PPP Sindh president Nisar Khuhro, in a strong rebuttal, reminded that Sindh, Balochistan and even Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had already rejected the project, noting that the KP Assembly itself had passed a resolution against it. \u201cBy supporting the Kalabagh Dam, the KP chief minister is disregarding the will of his own provincial assembly and insulting the mandate of the House,\u201d Khuhro remarked. He added that Gandapur needed to \u201clearn politics\u201d and speak responsibly, noting that the dam\u2019s rejection was already a matter of record. \u201cPerhaps Ali Amin Gandapur was not even in politics when the KP Assembly unanimously opposed the project,\u201d he said. Khuhro accused the PTI and its founder Imran Khan of covertly backing the dam. \u201cTo PTI supporters in Sindh, I want to make it clear: Imran wants the Kalabagh Dam to be built,\u201d he declared. The PPP leader reiterated that the people of Sindh would never accept the project. \u201cThe people of Sindh are willing to sacrifice their lives for the Indus River. Kalabagh Dam is a conspiracy to turn Sindh barren and starve its people,\u201d he asserted. Questioning PTI\u2019s record, Khuhro asked why key water projects such as the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams had not been completed during its tenure. \u201cThose advocating for Kalabagh must first explain why the Bhasha Dam, despite loans being secured for it, remains incomplete,\u201d he said. Khuhro concluded that PTI\u2019s open support for Kalabagh had \u201cexposed its true face\u201d before the people. ANP chief Aimal stated that the Kalabagh Dam was not a solution to recurring floods in the country. JUIF spokesperson in KP, Abdul Jalil Jan, termed the project a \u201cdead horse\u201d and questioned the CM about his earlier claim of constructing 350 dams. Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao criticised Gandapur, calling Kalabagh dam a controversial project. \u201cThree provincial assemblies in the country have passed unanimous resolutions against the Kalabagh Dam project,\u201d he told a press conference at Watan Kor in Peshawar. Sherpao said the Kalabagh Dam issue was a dead horse, as work was underway on the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams, which were scheduled to be completed in 2030 and 2027, respectively. On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) senior leader and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described KP CM’s statement as \u201cwelcome\u201d while speaking to the media. Asif stated, \u201cWe are currently going through a major crisis. We do not have the capacity to store water; every year, excess water is wasted into the sea.\u201d In Asif\u2019s view, \u201cPTI should not oppose it (Gandapur\u2019s statement) for political reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web Desk(National Times)- The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) showed signs of division over the long-standing and politically contentious Kalabagh Dam project, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur publicly reiterated his support for its construction. Speaking to the media, Gandapur said: \u201cI am in favour of the Kalabagh Dam. It should be built. Build consensus, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n