Electricity Crisis and Unjust Compensation Plague Gilgit-Baltistan Amid Diamer Dam Controversy

Residents of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan face an ongoing electricity crisis despite hydropower projects. Local assembly member Engineer Anwar criticizes inadequate compensation and systemic injustices stemming from the Diamer Dam Project. Environmental and social impacts exacerbate community suffering.

Residents of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) are enduring a severe electricity crisis despite the presence of hydropower projects. The lack of electricity has severely impacted the livelihoods of the local trading community.

During a recent PoGB assembly session, member Engineer Anwar highlighted that the local government has failed to provide adequate compensation and a fair share of profits to residents from the revenue of the Diamer Dam Project. The Diamer Dam, located on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in PoGB, has faced significant criticism for its environmental and social impacts.

Critics argue that displacement of local communities and ecological damage from the project amount to cruelty against the affected populations. Engineer Anwar expressed concerns over the continuous atrocities faced by the people of PoGB, urging collective action to address these issues.

"From the start, they have imposed atrocities on our people. We must unite and raise our voices against these injustices to see any benefits in the future. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan are not benefiting from this project. Committees are formed, mutual agreements are made, yet no actions follow. The mutual agreement made in 2010 saw no action by 2015, and now another committee has been formed," Anwar said.

He emphasized that while some in Diamer might gain from the project, the people of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan receive nothing. "They treat us unfairly. The rates for Diamer and Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan differ, and no compensation has been provided to those who gave their land for the dam," he stated. Anwar urged the administration to address these issues promptly and compensate the people justly.

According to the Dawn newspaper, the dam's construction has led to displacement of several indigenous communities, loss of biodiversity, and adverse effects on the natural landscape. The region's delicate ecosystems, including unique flora and fauna, are at risk due to the project's extensive infrastructure and associated deforestation.