Protests over power outages chokes Pakistan’s trade route with China

Islamabad, Jan 8 (IANS) Pakistan’s critical trade route with China remained blocked for the fifth day on Tuesday as thousands of people continued their protests over chronic and prolonged power outages in the mountainous region of Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit-Baltistan, media reported.

The organisers of the sit-in demonstration in Hunza, a picturesque city with a population of more than 70,000 in Gilgit Baltistan, have vowed to continue protesting until their demands are met.

Rally leaders emphasised the town’s persistent inadequate power supply, noting that residents endure up to 23-hour electricity outages amid a harsh winter season.

Both men and women participated in the protest, braving average daytime temperatures of -4 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius, as reported by rally participants to a media outlet via phone.

Rahim Aman, a Hunza resident, reported a gradual and substantial increase in protesters, saying female activists were seen using vehicles and loudspeakers to encourage participation in the rally.

He said representatives of local political parties, traders and hotel associations were also present.

Local authorities negotiated with the protesters but failed to persuade them to disperse and restore traffic flow along the Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan to China.

Hunza is situated on the scenic roadway traversing the Gilgit-Baltistan region, bordering China’s western Xinjiang province.

Traders reported that numerous containers carrying commercial goods were stuck on both sides of the highway due to the sit-in demonstration.

The crippling protest erupted more than a month after Pakistan and China announced that they would keep open their sole land port, the Khunjerab Pass, for year-round operations to foster trade connectivity between the two nations.

The world’s highest paved border crossing, nearly 190 km from Hunza, stands at an elevation exceeding 4,600 metres and was previously closed for four months annually due to heavy snowfall.

The impoverished Gilgit-Baltistan region heavily relies on hydropower, but generation almost ceases during the winter months due to the freezing of rivers and lakes. Consequently, residents and business establishments, including hotels, must operate expensive thermal generators to maintain power supply.

Residents and area experts have noted that the growing use of such generators by major hotels and other commercial entities is damaging the atmosphere in Hunza and surrounding areas.

The United Nations reports that the Pakistani regions are home to some of the largest stretches of glaciers outside the northern pole and already face the growing threat of global warming.

The Khunjerab Pass is an integral component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. The multibillion-dollar corridor seeks to establish a comprehensive trade and transit infrastructure between the two nations, the most populous and fifth-most populous in the world.

Beijing has invested more than $25 billion in Pakistan since the two countries launched the CPEC a decade ago and is eager to use Gwadar, a Chinese-managed Pakistani port on the Arabian Sea, as a strategic gateway to international markets.

–IANS

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