Pakistan’s government declared on Wednesday that China will be funding its dam, which is to be constructed in PoK. This is touted to be the country’s biggest dam in all of its history. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was in conversation with this controversial Diamer-Bhasha dam and said that it will be built upon the Indus River in Gilgit-Baltistan.
It is speculated that this dam to be completed in 2028 and will be the world’s highest roller compacted concrete dam. Imran Khan has also promised that it will provide cheap electricity and irrigation for Pakistan’s farmlands, in addition to creating jobs.
Earlier this dam along with Azad Pattan and Kohala projects were left in a standstill due to the unavailability of funds.
Although this project has been inaugurated 4 times before this by four other Prime Ministers, it was dismissed due to lack of funding. During one of these instances in 2018, Pakistan’s top judge even order to kick-start a crowdfunding campaign to fund the project.
This time around, Pakistan’s PM confirmed that the construction of the dam was possible only because of China. Notably, this dam is projected as a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Because of the fact that China is the major shareholder in this case with an equity of 70%, it would technically be China’s dam. So, this dam, although projected as a matter of National Pride for Pakistan, is more of a liability than an asset.
(Source: Wion news)