On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan hosted an inauguration ceremony for the Diamer-Bhasha dam, which Pakistan hopes will be the third-largest dam in the country. It was attended by the Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Bajwa, and Pakistan’s Water Resources Minister, Faisal Vawda. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2028, is predicted to generate 4,500 megawatts of electricity, along with 16,000 jobs. Reports say that the dam is being constructed for multiple purposes, including “water storage, flood mitigation, and to divert water for irrigation and power generation”. Further, this dam will allegedly raise Pakistan’s storage capacity from 30 days to 48 days. However, it is being constructed in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK), a region that is claimed by both India and Pakistan.
During the inauguration, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “The decision to build this dam was taken 50 years ago. There can be no better site for constructing a dam, it is a natural dam. Forty, 50 years ago this was decided, and work on the project has begun today.” He also assured that the construction of the dam would not only benefit the residents of the region but also fuel the economy. He further said that this would also provide a sustainable alternative to coal-generated power.
In the past forty years, the dam has been inaugurated by four different Prime Ministers. However, the construction never took off due to lack of funds. In 1980, Pakistan approached the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and its allies in the West for funds. However, these requests were all rejected as the project was situated in PoK and its construction was vehemently opposed by India.
In 2018, the Pakistani Supreme court initiated a “crowd-funding campaign” to fund the development of the dam. However, this, too, fell short. The construction of the dam has now been made possible with China’s intervention. In May, the Pakistani government entered into a Rs. Four hundred forty-two billion contract through a joint venture between a Chinese-government owned company and the Frontier Works Organisation, which is the commercial body of the Pakistani military.
There are several oppositions to this project. Apart from being extremely expensive and straining the already vulnerable Pakistani economy, the construction is also questionable in international law. India has repeatedly opposed Pakistan’s construction activities in PoK, which India believes is illegally occupied by Pakistan. Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “Our position is consistent and clear that entire territory of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and will continue to be an integral and inalienable part of India.” Further, he said, “We have consistently conveyed our protests and shared concerns with both Pakistan and China on all such projects in the Indian territories under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.”
Recently, the PoK region witnessed a series of protests against China and Pakistan following the latter’s decision to allow the construction of two other dams on the Neelam and Jhelum rivers. The protesters expressed several concerns. Primarily, they were concerned about the environmental impact of the dam on the region. Consequently, they ran a social media campaign, with #SaveRiversSaveAJK trending on Twitter. They also questioned the legality of the decision, as the area on which the dam is being constructed is a disputed region, claimed by both India and Pakistan. They said that the decision taken by China and Pakistan was in violation of international law.
Also Read: Protests Against China and Pakistan in PoK Over Construction of Dams
Unlike the abovementioned dams, the Diamer-Bhasha project is not a part of the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is a $62 billion vision, which is a part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—a project that intends to build roads, railways and sea lanes to connect Asia, Africa, and Europe. Several critics have called it a “trillion-dollar blunder”, saying that it is guided by the misplaced assumption that “massive economic projects” will result in a flourishing economy. In fact, it is predicted that CPEC will result in a debt of $80 billion, 90% of which Pakistan will be compelled to pay. Once Pakistan is inevitably unable to repay the exorbitant debt, it will be forced to hand over the sovereignty of its territory to China. Although the Diamer-Bhasha dam is not part of the CPEC, it is sure to further entangle Pakistan in a “debt-trap” with China.
Image Source: Economic Times