From Probe International
The operators of the Three Gorges Dam are continuing to export their hydro-power schemes to countries around the globe. The latest destination is Pakistan.
According to recent reports, Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and Power has signed a number of memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China’s Three Gorges Dam Project Corporation. The MOUs concern the Bunji Hydropower Project, a $7-$-billion dollar project that is expected to produce 7,000-8,000 MW of power, and the Diamer-Bhasha dam, a $12.6-billion dam that is expected to produce 4,500 MW of power.
The agreements between the Three Gorges Dam Project Corporation and the Pakistan government are on a BOOT—build, operate, own and transfer—basis.
Both of the dams will be built in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the Kashmir region, which each country administers in part, but both claim in full.
The announcement that China will help construct the two dams in the disputed Kashmir region comes after an announcement from the Pakistan government last month of a new autonomy package for the Northern Areas of Kashmir, renamed as Gilgit-Baltistan. India says the new law “is yet another cosmetic exercise intended to camouflage Pakistan’s illegal occupation.”
At the same time, India has lodged complaints about the construction of the Bunji and Diamer-Bhasha dams—which are in the newly named Gilgit-Baltistan—with Chinese assistance. Both India and Pakistan consider the Northern Areas as part of the larger Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
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