Diamer-Bhasha, Dasu costs rise by Rs1.9 trillion, NA told

The estimated cost of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam has risen by Rs642 billion, from Rs479 billion to Rs1.121 trillion, the Ministry of Water Resources told the National Assembly, according to figures reported by The Express Tribune.

The cost of the Dasu Hydropower Project rose from Rs486 billion to Rs1.740 trillion, an increase of Rs1.254 trillion, or about 260 percent. The two revisions add Rs1.896 trillion to the projects' combined estimated expenses.

The Express Tribune reported that the fall in the rupee's value against the US dollar in recent years was the main driver of both increases. The ministry attributed the rise to changes in foreign exchange rates and said a revised PC-I had been submitted. It also acknowledged sharp increases in the prices of petroleum products and construction materials, which it said added to the financial burden of infrastructure work.

A cement bag costs Rs1,610 against Rs530, a rise of 204 percent, the figures presented to the House showed. High-speed diesel went from Rs72 to Rs414 a litre, up 472 percent, and steel and iron bars from Rs72,000 to Rs265,000 a metric tonne, up 268 percent.

The Diamer-Bhasha Dam is being built on the Indus in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Dasu project is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On wheat, Parliamentary Secretary for National Food Security and Research Shaista Khan told the House during Question Hour that after the dissolution of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation, letters had been sent to relevant institutions and provinces for the distribution of available stocks, with wheat also being supplied to Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and other concerned areas. She was answering questions from Shahida Rehmani and Aliya Kamran.

Imported wheat has reached warehouses, she said, and a digital dashboard has been introduced to monitor the movement of stocks, the province concerned and complete delivery details. PASSCO had declined because of financial and administrative problems, including some provinces not paying its dues and bills on time, she said. The government intends to involve the private sector and link relevant companies with the ministry, with a system being devised to monitor and hold them accountable.

The National Assembly passed four government bills by majority vote after clause-by-clause consideration, among them the Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology Multan (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the National Textile University (Amendment) Bill, 2026.