The National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution calling for the reallocation of the Mohmand and Diamer-Bhasha dam fund towards helping people affected by last year’s floods.
A fund for the construction of the two dams was launched by former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar in July 2018, and the initiative was later joined by then-prime minister Imran Khan.
The resolution moved by PML-N MNA Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das Kohistani said Nisar had begun “collecting funds for the development of dams and water reservoirs in violation of the law and going beyond judicial traditions”.
As a result, the “Supreme Court of Pakistan — Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dams — Fund” was set up on July 10, 2018, the resolution said, adding that according to a news report, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by CJP Umar Ata Bandial, was informed in January that the fund’s value stood at Rs16.53bn and was expected to rise to Rs16.98bn by the next quarter of this year.
“This House demands that this amount collected in the dam fund is deposited in the national treasury and these resources be utilised for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of the catastrophic floods of 2022,” the resolution reads.
The NA also passed the Supreme Court (Review of Judgements and Orders) Bill, 2023, which was moved by PML-N MNA Shaza Fatima Khawaja.
The statement for the objects and reasons of the bill its purpose was to enlarge the top court’s jurisdiction of reviewing its judgements and orders and “strengthen the exercise of this power by the Supreme Court”.
