On Monday, thousands of people in Muzaffarabad city of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir were on streets opposing China-backed Neelum Jhelum project.
Pakistan has granted the contract to the Chinese firms for constructing a dam on Neelum-Jhelum River. Thousands of people took onto streets at nights to rally against this decision. They held torch lights to oppose the Chinese backed up construction. They fear that the dam would ruin their life in the region. The slogans renounced the area opposing the construction of the mega-dam. People from all parts of the POK have attended the rally to express their descent for the project.
Pakistan and China have recently entered into an agreement which enables the Chinese firms to construct Azad Pattan and Kohala Hydro-power projects on PoK.
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China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) is sponsoring the Azad Pattan Hydel Power Project with an estimate of $1.54 billion cost. This investment is a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is expected to generate 700.7 megawatts of electricity. Along with CPEC, the project is sponsored by China Three Gorges Corporation, Silk Road Fund and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The Kohala Hydroelectric Power Project is being built on the Jhelum river which is roughly 7km upstream of Azad Pattan Bridge in Sudhanoti District of PoK.
Sudhanoti District of PoK is just 90 km away from Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad. Both the countries – China and Pakistan have decided to plunder the natural resources available in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor programme.
The people living in this corridor are worried about their lives as the construction will not only damage the river but also the entire city. But the Pakistan government has denied these allegations made by the Muzaffarabad people as baseless.