Amidst Latest LoC Flare Up, Pakistan Evacuates Over 50 Chinese Nationals Involved In PoK Dam Project

Amidst heightened activity along the Line of Control (LoC), more than 50 Chinese citizens who were involved with a dam project in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) have been evacuated to a ‘safe zone’, reports The Economic Times.

The dam in question was being built at the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelam rivers, and the Chinese nationals were moved out by the local Pakistani disaster management authority.

PoK had seen Chinese investments totaling $11-12 billion even prior to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being finalised; one of the primary reasons India had refused to become part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was Chinese involvement in infrastructure projects in PoK, asserting that it was a violation of Indian sovereignty over the region.

The last few days have seen a marked uptick in cross-border firing between the two sides, with a number of military as well as civilian casualties.