Govt asks Supreme Court to release dams' fund amount

ISLAMABAD: Federal government on Wednesday demanded release of dams’ funds amount collected for construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams from the Supreme Court.

“We have submitted a miscellanous petition,” Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman said in the case heard by a four-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

“The amount of the dams’ funds should be released to the federal government and Wapda,” AAG pleaded to the court. “The State Bank had opened an account under the supervision of the supreme court,” government counsel said.

“How many funds are deposited in the dams’ funds account,” Chief Justice of Pakistan questioned. “There are around 20 billion rupees in dams’ funds,” Wapda lawyer Saad Rasool replied.

“How this case began,” CJP Justice Faez Isa asked. “The supreme court had taken notice of the Wapda’s under hearing cases in 2018,” Wapda lawyer replied.

“Supreme Court’s dams funds implementation bench conducted 17 hearings,” the lawyer further said.

“There would be other Wapda projects, if the supreme court monitor all Wapda projects,” Qazi Faez Isa asked. “There were disputes among private parties over the building of dams,” Wapda’s lawyer said. “The supreme court fixed hearing of disputes in private parties with it,” lawyer said.

Wapda counsel pleaded that the litigation between private parties should be heard at relevant judicial forums.

The court summoned concerned record of the case and adjourned hearing for a break.

The Supreme Court had announced a fund for construction of dams via an effort of crowd funding in July 2018.

The fund was launched for construction of two large dams, Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dam, in the country.