People in PoK protest as Islamabad signs hydropower project deal with Beijing
Jul 07, 2020
Muzaffarabad (PoK), July 07: People in the illegally occupied PoK took to streets in Muzaffarabad against the construction of Kohala power project which they say will bring a multi-pronged crisis in the region. They shouted slogans urging Pakistan to roll back the decision of building a hydropower project in their region which was taken with Chinese permission, not their consent. Locals say they will not give in to any political or administrative manipulation and will continue their demonstrations until the construction site is shut with companies gone. They say they were misled during the entire pre-construction process and the two sides took their decisions keeping their individual profits in mind ignoring even the existence of Kashmiris. Earlier, a tripartite agreement for a 1,124 Megawatt hydropower project was signed between the government of Pakistan, the government of China and Kohala Hydropower Company Ltd, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation. As per the deal, a massive project will be constructed on river Jhelum in PoK under China’s flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Pakistan PM Imran Khan said this will provide clean fuel to Pakistan and PoK…locals say they will not get anything as Pakistan has never kept its promises in the past.
