Abstract:
Construction of hydraulic infrastructure is often regarded as an epitome of development
whereby its raison d’etre is based on various rationalities. Though propagated as apolitical
interventions infused with scientific rationality and technocratic supremacy, mega
infrastructures cannot be regarded as value free as post-development scholars argue. This
case study of Dadhocha Dam in Rawalpindi, Pakistan aims at inquiring these dominant
rationalities that propagate dam construction while legitimizing the displacement and
dispossession of affectees of Malikpur. Employing Critical Discourse Analysis as
theoretical and analytical framework, this research views the development-displacement
nexus as a contested terrain and problematizes it by examining both the dominant/state and
the marginalized/affectees discourses embedded in it. The discourses, taken as data, are
collected through qualitative interviews of state, represented by the Small Dams
Organization and the affectees of Malikpur, official documents including PC-1 and
regulations, and focused ethnography. Through critical analysis, the research argues that
the Dadhocha Dam and the ensuing dispossession and displacement of the Malikpur
residents is legitimized by state through discursive strategies of rationalization,
authorization, practical argumentation and blame avoidance. These strategies, while
marginalizing the affectees’ discourse, also determine implications on their livelihoods in
the form of exploitation and impoverishment risks. This juxtaposition of the discourses and
their socio-material manifestation reveals power asymmetry in development projects, and
mainstream policy processes at a broader level. By providing a critique of the normative
public policy discourse in Pakistan, this case-study contributes in democratizing the
development discourse and highlighting institutional obstacles in achieving inclusive
development, which can be reformed for social justice.
