Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Plant (Asadwarraich/Wikipedia)Massive protests and a torch rally spooked the Muzaffarabad city in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on Monday (24 August) night to oppose the Chinese construction of mega-dams over the Neelum-Jhelum river, reports news agency ANI.
Thousands from the city of Muzaffarabad and rest of the PoK took to streets to protest against the recently signed agreements between Pakistan and China to construct Azad Pattan and Kohala hydropower projects in the occupied territory.
The projects are to be executed under the contours of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at a cost of $1.54 billion. It is expected that the construction will be completed by 2026.
The local masses have been left irked by the increased presence of Chinese nationals in the region, massive construction of dams and river diversions which threaten the very existence of the people in those territories.
China and Pakistan have been on a loot, jointly plundering the precious resources of the PoK and Gilgit Baltistan under CPEC in the garb of a development and infrastructure building narrative.
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