The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved 10 major development projects worth Rs1.96 trillion during a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal. While four projects totaling Rs14.312 billion received immediate clearance, six larger initiatives valued at Rs1.82 trillion were forwarded to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
The session, attended by federal secretaries, provincial planning heads, and senior officials, focused on sectors including energy, water, education, IT, and transport. However, the spotlight fell on the contentious revised budget for the Dasu Hydropower Project (Stage-I), now pegged at Rs1.74 trillion a staggering surge from its original Rs479 billion estimate.
Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the cost escalation, attributing it to “gross mismanagement and delays” under prior administrations, which he claimed derailed critical infrastructure efforts. He demanded third-party verification of the revised costs and questioned why the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had bypassed directives to appoint an independent project director and a chief financial officer for the initiative.
Despite the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal stressed the dam’s strategic significance for Pakistan’s energy transition, water security, and climate goals, urging swift completion to harness the nation’s hydro potential.
The CDWP’s approvals signal progress on infrastructure priorities, but the Dasu project’s fiscal turmoil underscores systemic governance gaps, casting a shadow over Pakistan’s development ambitions. ECNEC’s forthcoming review will now determine the fate of the mega-hydro venture.
