The Supreme Court heard the Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams funds case on Wednesday, during which the federal government requested the release of the funds to the federation and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).
Additional Attorney General (AAG) Aamir Rehman informed the court that a separate petition had been filed for this purpose, seeking the transfer of the funds. He said the account was opened by the State Bank of Pakistan under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
The funds in question were originally collected through a campaign initiated by the Supreme Court in 2018, with the State Bank of Pakistan managing the account under the court's supervision.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa inquired about the total amount in the dams funds, to which WAPDA's lawyer, Saad Rasool, said they were approximately Rs20 billion.
During the hearing, the CJP questioned the origins of the case, asking how it initially began. The WAPDA lawyer explained that the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice in 2018 during proceedings related to WAPDA projects, which led to the creation of a dedicated Dams Funds Implementation Bench. The bench, which convened 17 times, oversaw the use and allocation of the funds.
The chief justice expressed concern about whether the Supreme Court should monitor every WAPDA project, noting that there must be other projects of the authority as well. The lawyer said there were also disputes between private parties regarding the construction of dams. He clarified that the Supreme Court had decided to hear these disputes itself rather than assigning them to the relevant judicial forums.
The WAPDA lawyer requested that disputes between private parties be handled by the relevant judicial forums. The Supreme Court, led by a four-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, has called for all relevant records pertaining to the case to proceed further.
The case will continue to be heard as the court reviews the petition and related matters.
