Beijing's footprint spurs Chinese courses in PoK

Srinagar: With the influence of China in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) increasing — as also the presence of Chinese people in the territory — a large number of local people are learning the Chinese language.

It is not only students but traders, government officials and also those related to tourism who are warming up to the Chinese language, apparently to be able to communicate with the foreigners better so as to obtain financial and other benefits from the ventures they are involved in, reports from across the LoC said.

The Chinese people are building several hydroelectric projects in PoK and are also involved in other ventures, particularly the Chinese Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), in the territory and beyond.

The largest 1,124 megawatts hydroelectric project in the territory is being built by China Three Gorges Corporation, the largest hydropower enterprise in the world in terms of installed capacity based in China. The work on the $2.4 billion project — which is coming up on river Jhelum (which flows into PoK from Kashmir Valley) at Kohala, about 224 km from capital Muzaffarabad — began recently.

Reports said that hundreds of engineers and other skilled manpower arrived in Muzaffarabad and Kohala during the past few weeks. While most of them stay in accommodations close to the project site, others shuttle between Kohala and Islamabad on a daily basis.

The Chinese people are actively associated also with a comprehensive plan formulated by the government in Muzaffarabad to accelerate the pace of hydropower development and to construct a number of additional small hydro power plants through its own resources and with private investments in the territory. Four other major power projects on which the Chinese are working, along with locals officials and engineers, include 969 mw Neelam-Jhelum, 700 mw Karot, 147 mw Patrind project on river Kunhar, 100 mw Gulpur and 500 mw Chakothi Hattian, reports said.

About a year ago, media reports had talked also about the presence of Chinese troops in PoK but Islamabad was quick to reject and term these as “baseless rumour-mongering”. Beijing had also refuted these reports.

Nevertheless, the increasing influence of China in PoK is a fact and it is mainly because of the growing presence of Chinese people in the territory that the locals have been attracted to learn the Chinese language. In view of this trend, the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’s main university recently started Chinese language classes.