‘Iron Brother’ China has given a big blow to Pakistan, which is facing power and fuel shortage. Chinese engineers and employees have stopped the repair work of the 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) since July this year. China has taken this step at a time when Pakistan is constantly facing shortage of energy and electricity. China has given the reason behind stopping the repair work because the local people are strongly protesting against this hydroelectric project.
China has said that Pakistan’s police has proved unsuccessful in providing security to its employees. Meanwhile, tensions have arisen between Islamabad and Beijing over the hydro power project due to the sudden withdrawal of China from the power project. This power project is located near Muzaffarabad, the alleged capital of PoK. These Chinese engineers were working on opening an important tunnel. This power project is worth Rs 508 billion and after working for 3 years suddenly stopped.
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“This has led to serious differences between the officials of Pakistan and China regarding joint projects. This includes the Neelam-Jhelum plant as well as the Dasu, Mohammed power project in particular. The water from the plant is carried into the river through this 3.5 km long tunnel. A serious fault has occurred in this tunnel. Due to this the entire plant had to be completely shut down. The closure of the plant has created a serious power crisis in Pakistan. It is being told that there has been a crack in the tunnel.”
The authority WAPDA, which operates the plant, has also confirmed that there has been a blockage in the tunnel, forcing the power station to be shut down for safety reasons. Pakistani officials have alleged that the Chinese project has several shortcomings and has become difficult to run. On the other hand, the Chinese side has its own complaint. He says that the Pakistanis are not paying for the work, which is affecting the work of repairing the tunnel. Apart from this, Chinese citizens are also afraid of attack by local people. At the same time, Pakistani officials say that Chinese citizens do not follow security protocols.
Courtesy : BHAGYASHREE