Pakistan PM Imran Khan kicks off Diamer-Bhasha dam project

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday kicked off construction work at the Diamer-Bhasha dam in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying it will generate low-cost environment friendly hydel power in the country.

Addressing a public gathering in Chilas in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khan said the Diamer Bhasha will be the third largest dam of the country after Tarbela and Mangla dams.

The project will generate 4,500MW cheap electricity and provide at least 16,000 jobs. It is expected to be completed by 2028.

The Pakistan government in May signed a whopping Rs 442 billion contract with a joint venture of a Chinese state-run firm and a commercial arm of Pakistan's powerful military for construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.

India took strong note of Pakistan awarding the contract to build the dam, saying carrying out of such projects in territories under Pakistan's illegal occupation was not proper.

"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 integral and inalienable part of India," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in May.

"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," he said.

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) had approved the project for construction in 2010, but it suffered delays because of international lending agencies which remained associated with the project but later backtracked because of opposition from India as major part of the dam is located in Gilgit-Baltistan.

During his address, Khan lamented that building of this dam was delayed while the previous governments started building thermal power stations.

"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 said.

He announced plans to build more dams on rivers to get cheap energy and decrease the pressure on foreign exchange to buy foreign fuel.

Khan said that hydropower projects would also be helpful to reduce global warming. He was accompanied by Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hamid besides Minister for Water Faisal Vawda and other officials.