UPPER KOHISTAN: Residents of Upper Kohistan staged a sit-in outside the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday, launching a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in Komila bazaar to protest against the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) for allegedly failing to fulfill commitments related to the 4,700MW Dasu Hydropower Project.
The protest was led by the Dasu Dam Affectees’ Committee, which mobilized traders and transporters a day earlier to shut down businesses across Upper Kohistan. Protesters marched through Komila and Dasu bazaars, carrying banners and placards, and chanting slogans against Wapda.
Committee leader Hafeez Ur Rehman stated that despite multiple meetings with Wapda, the promises made to affected communities had not been honored. “Wapda agreed to 13 demands but has failed to implement them, leaving us with no choice but to take to the streets again,” he said.
The protesters are demanding compensation for houses demolished during dam construction, financial aid for household expenses, the construction of a hospital, and job opportunities for locals within the project. Other demands include increased development funds for Upper Kohistan, a one-percent allocation of the project’s income for local development, commercial electricity rates for areas near the Karakoram Highway, and the establishment of educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and a university.
Hafeez Ur Rehman emphasized that while the affected communities had cooperated with authorities and sacrificed their properties for the project’s success, they would not end their protest until Wapda takes concrete steps beyond signing agreements that remain unimplemented.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Upper Kohistan, Khurram Rehman Jadoon, acknowledged the protest but maintained that the matter falls under Wapda’s jurisdiction and should be addressed by project officials.
Meanwhile, in Chilas, Gilgit-Baltistan, protests over the Diamer-Bhasha Dam entered their ninth consecutive day, with demonstrators presenting a 31-point charter of demands, including compensation and resettlement plans.
On Sunday, Minister for Kashmir and GB Affairs Amir Muqam visited the Chilas protesters and assured them that their concerns would be addressed, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a committee to review their demands. However, the demonstrators refused to end their sit-in.
The Dasu and Diamer-Bhasha projects, both funded by the World Bank, are among Pakistan’s largest ongoing hydropower initiatives, impacting communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kohistan and Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district.
