ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday requested the Supreme Court to release the funds collected for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.
Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman, addressing a four-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, submitted a miscellaneous petition urging the release of the dam funds to the federal government and Wapda. He noted that the State Bank had opened a special account for the funds under the Supreme Court’s supervision.
Chief Justice Faez Isa inquired about the current balance in the dam funds account. Wapda lawyer Saad Rasool responded that approximately 20 billion rupees are held in the account.
The Chief Justice also asked how the case originated. The Wapda lawyer explained that the Supreme Court took notice of Wapda’s ongoing cases in 2018 and conducted 17 hearings through its dams funds implementation bench.
Justice Faez Isa questioned whether monitoring all Wapda projects would be feasible. The Wapda lawyer clarified that disputes among private parties regarding dam construction were resolved through Supreme Court hearings, while other disputes should be handled by relevant judicial forums.
The court requested the relevant case records and adjourned the hearing for a break.
The Supreme Court had established a crowd-funded initiative for dam construction in July 2018, aimed at supporting the Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.
