Construction of Bhasha Dam: China's response to India

China has rejected India's objection to the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, saying that cooperation between Pakistan and China is aimed at boosting local economic growth. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhaoli Jian told a weekly press briefing in Beijing that the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam would improve the lives of ordinary people. Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the immediate construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, after which India, as usual, once again declared it a construction project in the disputed area and launched a full-fledged opposition campaign. Indian officials also criticized the Chinese government for providing financial and technical assistance to the project, to which a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman responded positively. China is a friend of Pakistan and a major power in the region. Relations between Pakistan and China are thriving in the areas of public relations, defense, strategic affairs and the economy. The two countries have stood side by side in times of crisis over the past 70 years. China developed the Economic Corridor (C-Pac) plan to save Pakistan's economy from the debt of international institutions and build it on the manufacturing and trade sectors. Under this project, goods will be transported from Gilgit-Baltistan to Pakistan's Gwadar port by setting up new industries in the remote Chinese region of Aqsa China. China's advantage is that it will cover a distance of at least 10,000 kilometers and the time it takes to cover that distance. Chinese goods can reach Gwadar in three to four days from Aqsa China. The construction of this corridor will boost many new industries in Pakistan. New business opportunities will be created. Not thousands but millions of people will get jobs. If matters are handled amicably, they can be freed from the clutches of international financial institutions. Loans from international institutions limit national independence. C-Pack is not limited to just one highway, some industrial zones and Gwadar port. It is a map of the future of both the countries in which both have to paint their own part. Pakistan has been suffering from energy shortage for a long time. Energy issues have become a major concern, especially with controversial hydropower projects and the opportunity to allow thermal projects to operate in the private sector. Can That is why Indian governments have always violated international law. After independence, water was withheld so that crops could not be irrigated. Then water compensation was collected from Pakistan. Since the Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960, India has been politicizing the issue of water. First used the waters of the eastern rivers and is now managing to divert the waters of the three western rivers flowing into Pakistan. It was India and some of its supporters who pushed the project like the Kala Bagh Dam into such controversy. He said that many previous governments could not start its construction despite their wishes. No dam could be built in Pakistan for six years. Political government has the advantage of having the power to unite the people for a purpose, but in our case the governments of the past have not been able to reach a consensus on national issues. One of the projects that Imran Khan promised as soon as he became the Prime Minister was the construction of new dams. It was a short time ago when he took over the government. The government started working for new dams. When the government sought funds from international institutions, they made the funds subject to Indian NOCs under Indian influence. The Chinese government was asked to help. Chinese officials estimate the cost at 14 billion. Later, due to strict Chinese conditions, Pakistan temporarily suspended the implementation of the project. Meanwhile, former Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar directed to set up a dam fund. More than Rs 12 billion was deposited in the fund by the general public, including employees of the armed forces, cabinet and public and private institutions. A lot of work has been done for the construction of Bhasha Dam. Land has been purchased and roads and a residential colony have been built. On the third day of the announcement by the Prime Minister, WAPDA has jointly awarded the contract for construction of Bhasha Dam to Chinese company Power China and Frontier Works Organization of Pakistan. Initially, the contract is worth Rs 442 billion, which includes the construction of an alternative system, the main dam, a link bridge and the completion of the 21-megawatt Nangir hydropower project. India has criticized China during its campaign against Bhasha Dam. To divert attention from the ongoing atrocities in Occupied Kashmir, India is trying to create obstacles by presenting a purely humanitarian plan to the world from a defensive point of view. It is gratifying that just as China has supported Pakistan's Kashmir policy in the UN Security Council and other international forums, so has China defended the construction of the Bhasha Dam. The project will help Pakistan reduce electricity tariffs. The 4,500 MW project could be a new milestone in Pak-China friendship.