Residents of Muzaffarabad city of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) protested and held a torch rally last night against the construction of dams to be built by Chinese firms on Jhelum river.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1298074891896274944?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe protestors chanted slogans like ‘Neelum-Jhelum behne do, humein zinda rehne do’ and ‘Darya Bachao, Muzaffarabad Bachao’. Recently, Pakistan and China signed agreements to construct Azad Pattan and Kohala Hydropower Projects in PoK.
Azad Pattan Hydel Power Project with 700.7 megawatts of electricity capacity was signed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on July 6, 2020. The $1.54 billion projects will be sponsored by the Pakistan’s ‘all-weather friend’ China. China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) has sponsored the same.
Similarly, Kohala Hydroelectric Power Project will be built on Jhelum River. It is roughly 7 km upstream of Azad Pattan Bridge in the Sudhanoti District of PoK and 90 km from Islamabad. This project is funded by China Three Gorges Corporation, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Silk Road Fund and is expected to complete by 2026.
This destruction of natural resources by Pakistan and China has angered the residents of PoK.