Federal Minister for Defence Mr Ahmed Mukhtar has stated in the press (Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation of 3/5/2010) that there is pressure of the IMF and World Bank on government not to achieve consensus on the Kalabagh dam so that RPPs and IPPS could be facilitated to generate power at high cost. It appears that we have become a client state of the IMF and World Bank to be dictated against our national interests so that we cannot even exploit our hydel resources of water and power. I have in writing from chairman of World Bank that the Bank supports Kalabagh dam but all provinces have to agree and environmental concerns have to be addressed as is the case in all large dams. That is a must before the Bank could proceed further as it has already spent considerable money on the feasibility of Kalabagh dam. The WB understands that the dam would add substantially to irrigation water supplies in addition to generation of cheap power. I cannot understand as to why World Bank would now discourage building of the dam when it is in the interest of Pakistan? -DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI, Lahore, May 3.