Will recover looted wealth to fund Diamer Bhasha dam, says Chief Justice

MANCHESTER: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar said on Friday that there would be no further need for fundraising if the looted wealth stashed abroad is recovered and allocated in the Dam fund.

"People have to answer how they made Rs3 billion worth property in Dubai. The entire wealth which belongs to the people of Pakistan must be given to the Dam fund. There will be strict accountability if not given voluntarily,” the chief justice remarked in his address during the Geo News telethon for the Dam Fund at Manchester.

"There will be no further need for fundraising if we recover billions from the looters,” he said. “Those who sent billions by launches will soon have to present themselves before accountability.”

The chief justice said that contrary to his hope few people didn’t put their contribution in Dam funds as according to their potential and financial stature.

"Those who looted billions didn’t give any amount,” he lamented.
‘Pakistan is the most water-scarce country today’

The chief justice said that the country stands most water scarce as it didn’t value water, adding that God forbid, that the country face situations as faced by Somalia and South Africa currently.

“Water is linked with life. If there is no water, there is no life,” he added.

The chief justice said that he didn’t get a satisfactory answer when he asked a top Sindh government functionary to drink a glass of tap water with him.

“I came to know that the underground water table has gone drastically low in Baluchistan and the dams have dried. He was told that there is no other way than rainfall to fill the dams,” he said.

CJ Nisar said that the court decided construction of Diamer Bhasha dam because of lack of consensus on the Kala Bagh dam in the country.

He called the inaction on building further dams in the country, ‘a criminal negligence’. “There was no action taken despite allocated funds.”

The chief justice said that as many as Rs1500 billion is needed for the dam. “We started the fund raising campaign after all due consideration. We started it by taking our patriotism into consideration,” he added.
‘People with vested interests can’t stop dam construction’

The chief justice said that a few individuals due to their vested interests are opposing dam construction, but rest assured they won’t succeed in it.

“Inshallah we will build many dams on Indus river,” he said.

The chief justice said that he would formally kick-start a population control programme from next month.

“I will start the advocacy from my home,” he added.