The long-running dispute between the administration and the affected people over land acquisition for the under-construction Dadocha Dam, located about 25 kilometers from Rawalpindi city, ended with the use of force.
With the support of paramilitary forces and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), the administration managed to exit the country by deploying bulldozers and issuing threats.
As a result, 285 houses, cattle sheds and shops in the affected villages of Bharwala and Khanpur were demolished.
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Most of the affected people dismantled their structures themselves after surrendering under pressure, despite not having received compensation for their land, while several buildings were razed by government bulldozers.
These families, who had lived in the area for almost 300 years, have now begun to migrate.
The settlements are currently a scene of destruction, reduced to piles of rubble. Those affected are busy securing their livestock, belongings and children while the administration clears debris from the site.
The Dadocha Dam project was approved in 2005 during the tenure of former Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, with an initial cost of Rs 5 billion.
The project cost has now increased to Rs 17 billion. The new completion date is set for December 31, 2027, reflecting a two-year extension.
A total of 16,194 kanals and 14 marlas of land has been acquired for the dam. Compensation of Rs15,000 to Rs17,000 per marla was announced, but only five percent of politically influential people reportedly received payments, while the remaining affected were promised compensation in February.
Despite this, the land was vacated without payment.
Upon completion, the dam will supply 35 million gallons of water per day to Rawalpindi and will have a storage capacity of 60,000 acre-feet.
Four villages have been completely wiped out and seven are partially affected.
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Affected residents, including Qazi Rab Nawaz, Ajmal Jamshed and local elders, stated that they are not opposed to the dam but are demanding justice, including market price land compensation, payment for old trees and provision of alternative land.
They alleged that they were forced to surrender through policing, CTD and paramilitary pressure.
They further said that they own two ancestral plots measuring 82 kanals and 53 kanals at some distance.
A large housing society has forcibly occupied the 82-kanal land, while some affected have started settling on the 53-kanal plot, which is in a remote area with a badly damaged dirt road.
They urged the government to pave the way immediately as a goodwill gesture.
Those affected announced that they would once again approach the courts, saying that Supreme Court and High Court orders regarding compensation were being ignored. The final phase of earth clearance for the dam has now been completed. General construction work is due to resume in the last week of January and between 20 and 25 January all required land will be handed over to the Small Dams Organisation.
