Diamer-Bhasha Dam holds national importance: PM

The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a project of great national importance over which there is a national consensus and all stakeholders have endorsed it, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Friday. Talking to a six-member delegation of board of directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led by Maurin Sitours, the prime minister said the ADB had been a very reliable partner of Pakistan. “It has extended technical and financial assistance to Pakistan in many development projects, and Pakistan greatly values then co-operation extended by ADB,” Ashraf said. “It is my earnest desire that we should concentrate on a few strategic projects so that they can be completed in time and yield results,” he said.
The delegation head informed the prime minister that his delegation had had useful discussions with Pakistan’s financial team. Sitours said he would convey Pakistan’s interest in Diamer-Bhasha Dam to the president of the ADB. The prime minister said Diamer-Bhasha Dam would not only provide additional water storage capacity but would also produce cheap electricity. Sitours also praised the government of Pakistan for successfully running the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). Ashraf said the BISP was the government’s flagship programme aimed at targeting the poorest of the poor. “The BISP has recently launched new projects and is a major tool of government to address poverty,” he said. Minister of Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, BISP Chairwoman Farzana Raja and senior officials were also present.