Latest news with #MohmandHydropowerProject
The Print
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
China is playing saviour for Pakistan. This time, with water diplomacy
Chinese commentary repeatedly casts India as a hegemonic upstream actor leveraging its geographic position, while China is painted as a saviour, stabilising force, and Pakistan's indispensable partner in achieving water security. One Weibo post declares: 'India is a 'shameless' country with double-standards; on one hand, it fears China using its upstream position, but on the other, uses the same to pressure Pakistan.' Last week, Chinese media announced that the Chinese-funded Mohmand Hydropower Project in Pakistan had entered its filling phase, a development heavily publicised and framed as a pointed signal to India. Coverage and posts across platforms like Baidu, Weibo, and WeChat present China's expanding role in Pakistan's water infrastructure not as routine cooperation but as a calculated counter to Indian influence . Headlines proclaim , 'China is helping Pakistan crack India's water strategy,' positioning Beijing as a hydropower ally in Pakistan's rivalry with India. As overt military tensions between India and Pakistan subside, Chinese digital discourse is increasingly casting water as a frontline of strategic competition in the region. Some commentary goes further, invoking national security rhetoric. A Baidu post warns, India's strike on the Chinese-built Neelum–Jhelum dam opens a new front, one that could internationalise the region's water tensions. India said Pakistan's claims of such an attack are a ''blatant lie'. Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, remarked that 'water sharing among China, India, and Pakistan must be governed by international and treaty obligations, adding that third-party upstream nations may intervene if downstream flows are threatened.' The tone on Chinese platforms is often combative. 'Pakistan is no longer afraid of being cut off from India!' posted one Weibo user, citing Chinese-backed dams as strategic shields. Another claimed, 'the war over water escalates! India provoked three times; Pakistan showed off its China-built dam, water crisis is history!' South Asia expert Long Xingchun commented that 'China's intervention was calibrated, supporting Pakistan without provoking open conflict with India. China stepped in this time to pinch the flame and prevent South Asia from blowing up.' Also read: India needs to focus on winning in Kashmir, not fighting Pakistan China's strategic framing Projects like the Mohmand Dam are not framed as technical endeavours but as symbols of strategic alignment. Built by China Gezhouba Group Corporation, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation, the dam's progress is widely celebrated in Chinese media and is described as China's commitment to Pakistan's infrastructure and energy resilience. Chinese reports emphasise its expected benefits: Irrigation for 16,700 hectares, annual generation of 2.86 billion kWh, and enhanced flood control and water supply. One Chinese article posed the question: Have you ever thought a dam could be a shield for national security as well as a power source? It dubbed the Mohmand project Pakistan's 'water freedom guarantee'—a striking example of how hydropower is framed as strategic autonomy. Chinese discourse around the Mohmand and Diamer–Bhasha dams frequently invoke Balochistan, implying that unrest there is part of a broader strategy to disrupt Chinese investments and derail the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Some posts even claim that India is fuelling separatist sentiment in the region to weaken these infrastructure ventures. However, a Chinese commentator argues, 'while Pakistan's reliance on the Indus River remains precarious, the situation is gradually improving thanks to its close ties with China. With strong Chinese backing, major water projects like the Diamer Bhasha Dam—often dubbed Pakistan's 'Three Gorges Project'—and the planned Kalabagh Dam are making steady progress.' Criticism of India is a constant. A post from the South Asian Studies ewsletter, run by young scholars and commentators, asserts: 'India's 'water weapon' strategy is a double-edged sword—one that may exacerbate regional tensions and ultimately harm India's own interests. This notion of 'hydro-hegemony' has become central to how Chinese platforms frame India's water diplomacy.' Also read: The next wars will be silent—fought with semiconductors, software, invisible lines of code China showcases hydro diplomacy Ultimately, China is using hydropower to assert soft and hard power in tandem. On social media and in state-run commentary, water infrastructure is depicted not merely as development assistance but as a tool of regional rebalancing. As one Weibo user asked, 'Can China rewrite the pattern of water distribution in South Asia?' Chinese discourse strongly suggests it can—and that it is already doing so. These narratives portray China not only as Pakistan's all-weather partner but also as a regional power reshaping the region's hydro politics. For Beijing, water diplomacy serves both to bolster Pakistan's defences against Indian influence and to safeguard its investments and interests in the CPEC. For India, the prospect of a two-front challenge has rarely felt more concrete. Sana Hashmi is fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation. She tweets @sanahashmi1. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
China Pakistan Dam Construction: China speeds up construction of dam in Pakistan, ET Infra
Advt China has announced plans to accelerate work on a 'flagship' dam in Pakistan to ease pressure on its all-weather ally, weeks after India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, according to a media state-owned China Energy Engineering Corporation has been working on the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-western Pakistan since 2019. The project was scheduled to be completed next Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that concrete filling on the dam had started, marking 'a critical construction milestone and a phase of accelerated development for this national flagship project of Pakistan', the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post Mohmand dam is designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility for power generation, flood control, irrigation and water supply and is designed to generate an estimated 800MW of hydropower and supply 300 million gallons a day of drinking water to Peshawar, the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
India.com
20-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
China building world's fifth highest dam in Pakistan, its height is..., 30 crore gallon water will be supplied daily to....
China building world's fifth highest dam in Pakistan, its height is..., 30 crore gallon water will be supplied daily to.... After India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, China has now taken a new step to support its ally Pakistan by deciding to fast-track work on a major dam project in the country. According to the South China Morning Post, a Chinese government-owned company, China Energy Engineering Corporation, has been building the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, located in the northwest of the country, since 2019. The project was originally set to be finished next year. But on Saturday, China's state broadcaster CCTV announced that concrete filling work on the dam has now begun. This step marks 'a critical construction milestone and a phase of accelerated development for this national flagship project of Pakistan', reported South China Morning Post. Initially, the project commenced in September 2019. However, it will be completed next year. China's move followed India's announcement to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly militant attack on tourists at Pahalgam on April 22. Despite reaching an agreement of cessation of hostilities, the Indian government maintains its stance on the Indus Water Treaty which is still in abeyance. The treaty was suspended following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan with a small share for China and Afghanistan. According to the news agency ANI report, under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of three rivers, namely Ravi, Sutlej and Beas ( Eastern Rivers) averaging around 33 million acre feet ( MAF) were allocated to India for exclusive use. The waters of Western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab averaging to around 135 MAF were allocated to Pakistan except for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty. India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river(RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is utilize the waters of the Eastern rivers which have been allocated to India for exclusive use, India has constructed Bhakra Dam on Satluj, Pong and Pandoh Dam on Beas and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on storage works, together with other works like Beas-Sutlej Link, Madhopur-Beas Link, Indira Gandhi Nahar Project etc has helped India utilize most of the waters of waters of Eastern rivers, ANI reported. The move comes ahead of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Beijing on Monday for talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. The Mohmand dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility for power generation, flood control, irrigation and water supply and is designed to generate an estimated 800MW of hydropower and supply 300 million gallons a day of drinking water to Peshawar, the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Waters from the rivers constitute about 80 per cent of drinking and irrigation supplies to Pakistan. According to the South China Morning Post, the dam is expected to produce around 800 megawatts of hydropower and deliver 300 million gallons of drinking water each day to Peshawar, the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to media reports, this dam, standing 700 feet tall, will rank as the fifth highest dam in the world.
Mint
20-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Weeks after India holds Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, China plans to accelerate work on ‘flagship' dam in Pakistan
China has announced plans to accelerate work on a 'flagship' dam in Pakistan to ease pressure on its all-weather ally, news agency PTI said in a report on Monday. The move comes weeks after India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, it said, citing a media report. The state-owned China Energy Engineering Corporation has been working on the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-western Pakistan since 2019, it added. On Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that concrete filling on the dam had started. This marked 'a critical construction milestone and a phase of accelerated development for this national flagship project of Pakistan', the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. The project officially began in September 2019 and was scheduled to be completed next year, the PTI report added. The move comes ahead of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Beijing on Monday for talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. Dar, who arrived in Beijing on Monday on a three-day visit, is the first high-level Pakistani official to visit China after India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Dar was expected to discuss a gamut of issues with all-weather ally China, including India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, the report said. 'China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners….This upcoming visit of Dar reflects the high importance the Pakistani government attaches to the development of China-Pakistan relations," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing in Beijing. "Regarding the situation between India and Pakistan, China has stated its position on multiple occasions. We are willing to maintain communication with both sides and play a constructive role in realising a full and lasting ceasefire and maintaining regional peace and stability,' Mao said. The Mohmand dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility for power generation, flood control, irrigation and water supply and is designed to generate an estimated 800MW of hydropower and supply 300 million gallons a day of drinking water to Peshawar, the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI report said. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has access to the waters of the Indus and Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India is entitled to use those from the eastern Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers. Waters from the rivers constitute about 80 per cent of drinking and irrigation supplies to Pakistan.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
China speeds up construction of dam in Pakistan
BEIJING: China has announced plans to accelerate work on a "flagship" dam in Pakistan to ease pressure on its all-weather ally, weeks after India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, according to a media report. The state-owned China Energy Engineering Corporation has been working on the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in north-western Pakistan since 2019. The project was scheduled to be completed next year. On Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV reported that concrete filling on the dam had started, marking "a critical construction milestone and a phase of accelerated development for this national flagship project of Pakistan", the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. The Mohmand dam is designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility for power generation, flood control, irrigation and water supply and is designed to generate an estimated 800MW of hydropower and supply 300 million gallons a day of drinking water to Peshawar, the capital and largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
