China to Accelerate Work on Pak Dam; BSF Resumes Beating Retreat

China has announced plans to accelerate work on a flagship dam in Pakistan. The Mohmand dam in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is designed to serve as a multi-purpose facility for power generation, flood control, irrigation and water supply, generate an estimated 800MW of hydropower, and supply 300M gallons a day of drinking water to Peshawar. The move comes weeks after India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance. The announcement comes ahead of Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's visit to Beijing on 20 May for talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, 'China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners.' One month after India placed IWT in abeyance, river flow data and geospatial evidence suggest that the Indian government has made flushing of dams a regular exercise. However, to contain all the water in the six rivers under IWT, India needs to build many dams, some of which locals are opposing. On May 23, under the banner of Lahaul-Spiti Ekta Manch (Unity Forum, LSEM), hundreds of residents gathered in Himachal Pradesh's Udaipur to protest against the 17 proposed hydropower projects in the Chenab Valley. According to LSEM, Lahaul is a cold desert region that is extremely fragile both geographically and ecologically. Hence, such projects should not be undertaken. Meanwhile, on 20 May, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) resumed the Beating Retreat ceremony at the Joint Check Posts at Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadki in Amritsar, Ferozepur, and Fazilka districts on the Panjab border. This has brought relief to the people living near the border, whose primary livelihood depends on tourists attending the ceremony. However, the usual symbolic handshake between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers will not take place, and the border gates will remain closed during the flag-lowering ceremony. Meanwhile, neither has the Kartarpur Corridor been reopened, nor has trade been resumed through the Attari–Wagah border. Pakistan has also condemned India’s visa denial to Sikh pilgrims from attending the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (earlier coverage).