President Zardari has directed the speeding up of work on power projects in which Chinese companies have invested, and which are under construction. He did so on Wednesday, when he received a delegation of Chinese businessmen led by Three Gorges Corporation Vice-President Weng Xiaofeng. The President also invited the companies to take part in the building of dams of various sizes in various areas. Chinese companies are committed to projects which will produce 2500MW of power, of which 1900MW will be hydel, and the rest solar and wind generation. It is worth noting that the Chinese investment is in ‘clean’ energy, which will not only increase the nation’s carbon footprint, but also not increase its import bill, as thermal generation projects do. These projects will help end the burden of loadshedding which has become a threat to economy and jobs.
Meanwhile, the statement by the head of the Neelum-Jhelum Power Project Lt Gen (retd) Zubair Ahmad that the project would be completed ahead of India’s completion of the Kishenganga project brought cold comfort. With such evidence as Pakistan’s incompetence in manipulating the terms of the Indus Water Treaty to its own benefit, how long will China believe President Zardari’s claim that Pakistan really wants Chinese help in developing its water resources? More to the point, how long does he expect this claim to be believed if his government remains as opposed to the eminently beneficial Kalabagh Dam project as it does now?
If the government is indeed serious about ending the loadshedding crisis, it must show its seriousness about using all its water resources, not just for water storage, but also for generating cheap hydro-electricity, thus helping bring down the tariff from the astronomical heights it has now reached. It can only do so by taking action, not by the President making speeches or making visits to China. Not only must the government promote the Kalabagh Dam project, but it must also pursue the cases against India under the IWT for its numerous violations, with full vigour, and without regard to what any third party might opine.