Build Bhasha and Mohmand immediately

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday ordered immediate construction of Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

The apex court gave this order while hearing a suo motu case along with human rights cases.

In the court order, it was said that the water resources are pertinent not only for human lives but for the country’s stability. It further said that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) did not express any reservation against Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

“How much water are we wasting?” Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar remarked during the hearing.

The Ministry of Water and Power responded that water worth millions of dollars is being wasted, adding that in one year 90 million acre-feet water is wasted.

The chief justice said that after Tarbela, a new dam should be built every 10 years.

According to the Ministry of Water and Power, one million acre-feet water costs $500 million.

During the hearing, the CJP asked why the government does not want dams to be built, to which the officials of the ministry responded that the underlying issue is that it isn’t the government’s priority.

The Supreme Court ruled for spending the amount, to be returned by the loan defaulters, on construction of dams for overcoming the ongoing water crisis in the country.

The chief justice observed that they need money for the construction of dams, hence he directed the loan defaulters to return the borrowed money while accepting the court’s option.

The court gave until July 17 deadline to 222 loan defaulters to accept its option of returning the money or face the music.

On last hearing, the court had directed the loan defaulters either to pay 75 percent of the principal amount they had borrowed from the National Bank or face the trials at banking courts. The chief justice warned that if the loan defaulters failed to do the needful, their cases will be referred to banking courts.

Justice Saqib Nisar had observed that they would collect the money from defaulters with interest, adding if they could not get back the public money, they have no right to remain on their slots.

Last month, the apex court issued notices to 222 individuals and companies who have allegedly got loans of Rs54 billion written off. The court had ruled that as per report of the commission constituted by this court, action against 222 individuals/companies has been recommended on account of the fact that the loans were not written off in accordance with law.

Farooq H Naek, counsel for some loan defaulters, prayed the court to constitute a commission for loan recovery. The chief justice declined the request, saying that they had already given options to the defaulters for paying back the borrowed money hence they should give in writing within a week about their decision.

Farooq H Naek asked for some two weeks saying he has to go abroad hence time should be given until July 24. The court however, declined the request and later on directed the defaulters to ensure in writing by July 17 about their mode of payment.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court directed former presidents Pervez Musharraf and Asif Ali Zardari to furnish details of their assets until August 7, with the ruling to unveil issues of corruption and nobody would get immunity.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umer Ata Bandyal and Justice Ijazul Ahsen resumed hearing in a petition filed by the president of Lawyers Foundation for Justice, Advocate Feroz Shah Gilani for the recovery of losses Pakistan had incurred after the promulgation of the NRO.

The petitioner had prayed the apex court to issue orders to recover huge amounts of public money allegedly misappropriated and wasted by the respondents including Pervez Musharraf, former attorney general Malik Qayyum and former Asif Ali Zardari through unlawful means “already on record in different judgments of the Supreme Court and high court”.