Re: Northern Areas say no to Bhasha dam
Bhasha Dam, the Northern Areas and Pakistan
Afzal A Shigri
Storage of river water in a large reservoir is vital for the survival of Pakistan. No political party seems to question this need. Indeed the objections raised by politicians relate specifically to the construction of Kalabagh Dam which now heads the government’s priority list. This dam will not only cover the loss of capacity at Tarbela and Mangla but will also provide additional storage and cheap power generation. While the parties in the opposition have raised considerable hue and cry against Kalabagh, they appear to be in total agreement on the need for Bhasha Dam and this view is also vehemently advocated by the NWFP. While these leaders as well as the parliamentary committee speak of a consensus on Bhasha amongst all stakeholders, they forget to even consult the people of the Northern Areas who will bear the consequences of their valleys being flooded. Bhasha Dam will flood Chilas in its entirety and displace the Shina-speaking inhabitants of this valley. Due to the region’s mountainous terrain, there is also no space available for the relocation of these people who have a distinct and unique culture. Equally callously, the opposition parties are quick to propose the construction of Skardu Dam which will flood yet another valley. Here too there is no solution in sight for resettlement. These leaders are worried about the possible flooding of some areas in the NWFP and waterlogging in Nowshera and Peshawar, but fail to spare a thought for the misery that will be heaped on the uprooted people of the two valleys who will have nowhere to go.
The enthusiasm of the NWFP can be attributed to the perception that it will receive the fruits of power generation at Bhasha in the form of royalties, simply because the designers have located the generation room in the Frontier. This is based on an erroneous interpretation of Article 161(2) which states that “The net profit earned by the Federal Government or any undertaking established or administered by the Federal Government from the bulk generation of power at a hydroelectric station shall be paid to the Province in which the hydroelectric station is situated.” To avert yet another political controversy, two issues need timely consideration by the federal government before Bhasha Dam is taken in hand. Defining the term ‘hydroelectric station’ is crucial to removing confusion and potential bad blood. If it means the generation room as the NWFP engineers would like us to believe and not the entire structure including the embankment, lake and tunnels, the rights of the people who are going to lose their homes and lands must be protected. For the loss of an entire valley, the Northern Areas should receive adequate security in the shape of constitutionally guaranteed compensation. The second issue is historical and concerns the artificial inclusion in the NWFP of an area south of Bhasha Dam. In his book History of Northern Areas of Pakistan, globally renowned scholar Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani refers to two documents that shed light on the status of this area. One is a letter dated February 24, 1913 from S M Fraser, Resident in Kashmir, to Lt Colonel George Roose-Kepple, Chief Commissioner of Peshawar. The other is a letter from the Resident to Colonel C P Gunter, Director of Frontier Circle, Survey of India, dated January 12, 1928. The letter to the Survey of India states:
"The territory comprised within the Gilgit Agency falls in three categories — viz.
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Kashmir state territory, i.e. Gilgit Wazarat, comprising Gilgit Tehsil (including Bunji with its Niabat of Astore).
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The political districts, i.e. Hunza, Punial, Yasin, Kuh-Gizar, Ishakoman and the republic of Chilas.
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Un-administered area, i.e. Darel, Tengir, Kandia (Killi), Jalkot, Shatial and Harban."
Professor Dani writes: “This position remained until 1947 and even later in 1950, when with the constitution of Kohistan district the area was separated from Gilgit Agency.” Based on these documented historical facts, the entire Bhasha Dam area including the site of the generation room is well and truly a part of the Northern Areas, which in all fairness is entitled to receive royalties on the bulk generation of power from this dam. The demand of the people of the Northern Areas for royalty on power generation is based on the principles of natural justice, accurate interpretation of relevant constitutional provisions and the fact that that the inhabitants of the region will suffer dislocation due to the construction of the dam. This issue must be addressed now and a solution found to the satisfaction of the people of the Northern Areas.
There is yet another aspect that is fundamental to the location of this project — the status of the Northern Areas. It is the stand of the Kashmir Affairs & Northern Affairs (KANA) Division and the Foreign Office (FO) that the Northern Areas are not part of the Pakistan. The FO, for its part, continues to harp on the establishment of United States of Kashmir, of which the Northern Areas will presumably be a unit. It has been stated time and again by the people of this area that they have nothing to do with Kashmir and have joined Pakistan of their own free will after fighting difficult and long-drawn battles with the Dogra army. The linkage with the Kashmir dispute, they maintain, has no justification. They voted for Pakistan, and if there is a plebiscite their vote for Pakistan should be taken for granted. If KANA Division and the FO, due to their incompetence or a bureaucratic approach to a historical issue, have failed to decide that this area is a part of Pakistan they should be done now. The FO’s suicidal push to include this area in a future United States of Kashmir has serious repercussions for Pakistan. The country’s biggest reservoir and lifeline cannot be allowed to be situated in a weak and unstable political entity. It is therefore vital that the constitutional status of this area is settled once for all and this area is integrated in Pakistan with representation in the National Assembly and Senate and its own provincial set-up. Against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding Kalabagh Dam, we need this decision urgently and now. Any further delay in addressing this vital issue will fatally undermine the security of Pakistan. If the past performance of KANA and the FO is any indication, it is likely that nothing will be done in this regard. As the area is in political limbo without any self-governance, the allocation of resources in the shape of royalties to KANA division will not directly benefit the people of the area, who will bear the consequences of the construction of Bhasha Dam. It would be appropriate if a mechanism is devised whereby the benefits flow to the people; one option could be providing electricity at cost. This would also help reverse the trend of cutting of trees for heating and cooking, a development that will in turn result in increased forestation of the catchment area of the Indus, halting soil erosion and prolonging the life of the dam. This factor alone will offset the cost of providing power at cost to the area. The difference in the special electricity tariff for the people of the area can be deducted from the royalties from power generation. The people of the Northern Areas will once again accept a decision that is in the national interest and willingly sacrifice their valleys, but the federation must address their concerns and protect their genuine rights. No one at the ministerial level will come to their rescue. The people of this area therefore look to the president for his personal intervention. In the din of the protest against Kalabagh, the due rights of the Northern Areas should not fall by the wayside.
The writer is former Inspector General of Police Email:[email protected]
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2006-daily/09-01-2006/oped/o5.htm
