Energy Resources Power Without Light, Dr Shabir Choudhry

 Energy Resources Power Without Light, Dr Shabir Choudhry

A chapter from my book, The Price of Occupation, Power to Pakistan and Darkness for Us.

 

Azad Kashmir is blessed with abundant water resources. The rivers of Neelum, Jhelum, and Poonch have the capacity to generate thousands of megawatts of electricity. Yet, despite this immense wealth, the people of Azad Kashmir continue to suffer from load-shedding, high tariffs, and underdevelopment.

 

How does Pakistan exploit POK?

 

Power Project      Capacity (MW)     Annual Generation (GWh)

 

Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant:       969 MW        Annual 4,630 GWH

Mangla Dam:                                      1,150 MW     Annual 5,000 GWH

Kohala Hydropower Project:                  1,124 MW.    Annual 4,800 GWH

Gulpur Hydropower Plant:                    102 MW        Annual 465    GWH

Patrind Hydropower Plant:                    150  MW       Annual 632.5  GWH

Azad Pattan Hydropower Project:          700 MW        Annual 3,064  GWH

New Bong Escape Hydropower Plant:      84 MW          Annual 550   GWH

23 small hydro projects produce:             79.12 MW   Annual 280   GWH

 

Total:4358.12 MW   Total:19,421.5 GWH     

 

 

GWh stands for Gigawatt-hour.

•  1 Watt (W) = a very small unit of power (like a tiny bulb).

•  1 Kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts (e.g., a small heater).

•  1 Megawatt (MW) = 1,000 kW (e.g., a medium-sized power plant turbine).

•  1 Gigawatt (GW) = 1,000 MW (e.g., a very large power plant or several dams combined).

The “hour (h)” means it measures energy over time (not just instant power). So:

·       1 GWh = using 1 GW (Gigawatt) of power for 1 hour.

·       It equals 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh).

·       A 100-watt light bulb running for 10 hours = 1 kWh.

·       A small town might use a few GWh per year.

 

In the case of AJK: When we say Neelum–Jhelum plant produces 4,630 GWh/year, it means it generates 4.63 billion units of electricity every year (since 1 kWh = 1 “unit” on your electricity bill).

 

Let me put it in perspective for you:

·       AJK consumption: 350 MW

·       AJK production:    4358.12 MW 

·       Electricity stolen by Pakistan:4008.12 MW

1 megawatt=1000 Kilowatt. In total, how many units does Pakistan steal every year, and how much is it in Pakistani rupees?

 

6.1    How much electricity does Pakistan steal every year from Azad Kashmir?

 

Pakistan steals about 35.1 billion units (kWh) of electricity every year from Azad Kashmir.

 

At an average price of Rs. 30 per unit in Pakistan, this amounts to roughly Rs. 1.05 trillion annually. In simple language, in the sector of hydroelectric, Pakistan steals Rs 1.05 trillion annually from Azad Kashmir.

 

1 trillion in Urdu is 1 Kharbb per annum. The total budget of Azad Kashmir for the fiscal year 2024-2025 was RS 264 billion. 2

 

So, anyone can tell who feeds whom. This is just one sector or one source of the Azad Kashmiri income if we were independent and we had our own State Bank.

 

All the electricity generated in Azad Kashmir is automatically taken into Pakistan’s national grid because all the hydropower projects are owned and controlled by WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan).

 

Because we are ‘Azad’, independent, Azad Kashmir itself has no independent transmission authority; the grid is integrated with Pakistan’s NTDC (National Transmission & Despatch Company).

 

A bitter reality is that the electricity we generate inside Azad Kashmir never comes under the Azad Kashmir government’s control. Sadly, the electricity we produce has to be bought back for local consumption. Although we produce 4358.12 MW and our consumption is 350 MW, we still suffer from long power cuts and shortages because distribution is completely under Islamabad’s control.

 

In other words, the so-called Azad Kashmir is an electric producer without ownership, supplying more electricity than it consumes, yet having no say in how it is used.

 

I hope you understand and agree with me that it is the most painful truth. Sadly, if we speak about this truth, we suffer, and are castigated as traitors, agents of foreign powers, enemies of Pakistan and enemies of Islam.

 

As pointed out above, Azad Kashmir is blessed with natural resources, including an immense hydropower potential (over 8,000 MW in AJK alone); yet the people of Azad Kashmir are not permitted to even produce 1 MW of electricity independently.

 

Every project — whether big dams like Mangla and Neelum–Jhelum or even small-scale hydropower schemes — must get approval from WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan) and Islamabad.

 

This means control of our natural resources is with our powerful neighbour, Pakistan. The region, known as Azad Kashmir, has no control over its natural resources. Those who serve the interests of Pakistan are imposed upon us as our ‘elected leaders’, and exploitation continues unchecked.

A simple message:

Azad Kashmir produces electricity, but it does not own it. The people face shortages while their rivers irrigate the Pakistani land, and electricity produced here helps to fuel Pakistan’s industries and cities.