'India planning to construct 250 dams over Chenab'

India is planning to construct about 250 small and big dams on River Chenab, which would further aggravate water situation in Pakistan, said Prime Minister, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan while speaking at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.
"If inflows in the rivers continue to decline, people in the cities like Lahore and Karachi may face the rationing of water in near future," he added. Azad Jammu and Kashmir has hydel power potential of 18,000MW which needed to be harnessed, he said adding that after upraising of Mangla dam, work on the construction of 1000MW Neelum-Jhelum Valley Hydel Power Project has been initiated. He said that some 301 points on water channels in Azad Kashmir had been identified for the generation of hydel power while work was in progress at 26 locations.
He said that only negotiations could bring peace in the region, he added. He invited the Lahore business community to invest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the state government was committed to facilitate the local and foreign investors. Azad Jammu and Kashmir has inherent economic potential to cater to the needs of entire South Asia.
He said that his proposal to convert Line of Control (LOC) into functional Line of Commerce has started giving rich dividends and hoped that such an activity would help bring down tempers in the region. There is huge potential in the fields of religious tourism, medicinal herbs and timber, he maintained.
He said that his government has designed such an investment protection policy, which will promote international investment in AJK. He further said that economic revolution would be brought in Azad Jammu & Kashmir through public private partnership. The present AJK government will bring positive economic changes through investment on large-scale. Due to this, economy of AJK will progress and people would also become prosperous, he maintained.
President LCCI, Shahzad Ali Malik proposed establishment of AJK-LCCI Investment and Trade Promotion Council having business leaders from both sides as well as leading figures of Kashmiri diaspora especially in UK and America. He said that the proposed Council, having its Secretariat at the LCCI would be given a deadline to finalise its action plan for promotion of trade and investment.
He said the LCCI delegation would soon visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir with an objective to further strengthen the existing trade relations. He also paid tributes to AJK Prime Minister for presenting a ten-point proposal before the United Nations and OIC that played a great role in highlighting the plight of Kashmiri people and promoted the entire cause in a befitting manner at the international diplomatic scene.
Malik said that the Prime Minister AJK showed great leadership by making efforts aimed at promoting public-private partnership and removing gender bias in employment opportunities. He said that Sardar Attique's vision of a 'Green and Skilled Kashmir' created awareness among people on issues related to global warming, environmental development and youth rehabilitation.
He said that establishment of various new state institutions for common good like Kashmir Bank, Kashmir Housing Authority, Kashmir Tourism Development Authority, Technical and Vocational Educational Authority will prove important for nation building.
The upcoming hydel generation projects in Mirpur are the prime examples of forward thinking and planning for bringing about a positive economic change in the area. This will unleash a new wave of investment, job creation and economic development in the area, he added.
The president LCCI told the Prime Minister AJK that the LCCI has also taken an initiative to establish 'Pakistan Water Front' which aims to mobilise all key stakeholders and necessary resources to address the most important issue of present day Pakistan. "We are facing severe crisis due to unavailability of water and storage of water which can undermine social and economic welfare of current and upcoming generations," he added.
AJK is land of outstanding natural beauty. Its snow covers peaks, forests, rivers, valleys and climate varying from arctic to tropical and offers tourists destinations, he said.