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Following India’s threat to cut supplies, China says it will expedite the construction of dams in Pakistan.

China says it will speed up Pakistan dam construction after Indian threat to cut supplies
State broadcaster flags up work on ‘flagship’ project after New Delhi threatens to cut off supplies from Indus
China has said it was accelerating work on a “flagship” dam in Pakistan in the wake of India’s recent threats to cut off water supplies.

The state-owned China Energy Engineering Corporation has been working on the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern 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 project officially began in September 2019, and was scheduled to be completed next year.
The Chinese statement followed India’s announcement that it would suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with its neighbour, in response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22.

The suspension of the treaty has left Pakistan facing water security risks, as the country reportedly relies on the Indus river system for about 80 per cent of its agriculture.Islamabad said it would consider “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” to be an “act of war” and it would respond “with full force across the complete spectrum of national power”.Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,” the government said.

Last week, the two countries agreed to a ceasefire following a series of clashes following a terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people. India has accused Pakistan of sheltering militant groups – charges Islamabad has rejected.

Reuters reported on Friday that India was considering plans to increase dramatically the water it draws from the Indus river, as part of retaliatory action for last month’s attack.The Chinese statement followed India’s announcement that it would suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with its neighbour, in response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22.

The suspension of the treaty has left Pakistan facing water security risks, as the country reportedly relies on the Indus river system for about 80 per cent of its agriculture.

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