Development-induced Displacement and Dispossession: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Construction of Dadhocha Dam in Rawalpindi

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.