The protest in Chilas escalated on Wednesday as enraged demonstrators stormed the offices of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and private companies involved in the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. They ordered officials to halt operations and vacate the premises before locking the buildings.
The protesters warned that construction work would remain suspended until their charter of demands was fully implemented, as their sit-in entered its 18th day.
The Gilgit-Baltistan government urged the Centre to address the issue on a priority basis before the situation deteriorates further.
Speaking at a press conference in Chilas, Hazratullah, the leader of the “Give Rights and Build Dam” movement, stated that residents had been staging a sit-in for nearly three weeks to push for the implementation of their demands.
He noted that a federal committee, formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and led by Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, met in Islamabad on February 26 to address the grievances of those affected by the dam project. The government had agreed to negotiate with a representative committee of the protest movement. In response, the protesters formed a committee after receiving assurances that federal representatives would visit Chilas. However, the government later cited poor weather as a reason for delaying their visit.
“Despite improved weather and the formation of our committee, the federal team has yet to visit Chilas or initiate talks. Even Plan B of our protest was postponed based on the government’s assurances,” Hazratullah said.
He criticized the federal committee members and WAPDA officials for remaining in Islamabad while protesters continued their demonstration. He further stated that WAPDA offices and other construction firms working on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam had been forced to halt operations until the federal team arrived for negotiations, as officials were not taking the issue seriously.
Reiterating the demand for immediate negotiations, he warned that further delays could have “dangerous” consequences.
Meanwhile, Gilgit-Baltistan Home Minister Shams Loan urged the federal government to take the ongoing sit-in seriously and ensure the federal committee visits Chilas as soon as possible to resolve the dam-related issues.
