Pakistan building 6 dams in PoK with China's help
04 Aug 2017
Pakistan is constructing six dams on the Indus river in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) with the help of China, minister of state for external affairs Gen V K Singh informed Parliament today.
The minister said the government has made demarches to both Islamabad and Beijing conveying that the construction is in violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Pakistan has illegally occupied certain territories in Kashmir and China has 'committed to support Pakistan' in these dam projects as part of its Belt and Road Project, the minister said.
Singh said the neighbouring nation is undertaking collaborative activities with Pakistan which are in clear 'violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity'.
"India has a clear and consistent position that these territories are illegally occupied by Pakistan and that any collaborative activity there is in violation of India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
''Accordingly, we have made demarches to both Pakistan and China, conveying our position. Government will continue to maintain this position,'' said Singh.
The Indus river, the longest river and the main river in Pakistan, originates in Western Tibet near Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, and runs across Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Creation of the dams by Pakistan could result in flooding on this side of the line of control and severely compromise India's internal security.
Pakistan has been constructing these dams for the last few years but a lack of funds forced the a temporary suspension of the work.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had also refused to grant a $14-billion loan for the illegal construction.
Pakistan has since turned to China to seek funds for these projects.
It is against this background that Pakistan is opposing India's construction of two hydroelectric projects on the tributaries of the Indus.
The World Bank, which is a signatory to the Indus Water Treaty, however, on Wednesday ignored Pakistan's protest and allowed India to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).