Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Sunday said work on Dasu hydropower project will resume soon as both Pakistan and China remain committed to the timely completion of this project and others being undertaken with
Responding to media queries regarding a notification by the Chinese company, the spokesperson in a statement said, “The Chinese construction company, China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) through its latest notification has declared its earlier notice, about contract termination of employment of Pakistani personnel working on Dasu Hydropower Project, null and void.”
He further said matters regarding security and execution of the project were being looked into, and the relevant authorities from Pakistan and China have been in close contact on the same.
All Pakistani employees who were fired by a Chinese company working on the Dasu Hydropower Project have been reinstated, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) said in a statement. The employees were fired as work on the project was halted after nine Chinese engineers died in an accident. The statement said that the Chinese company working on the Dasu project has withdrawn the notice of firing its Pakistani staff.
Shedding light on the matter, a WAPDA spokesperson said the Chinese firm working on the Dasu Hydropower Project had stopped work on the site over “security concerns”. However, the company agreed on resuming work after the company and the WAPDA held talks on the issue.
The spokesman said that the work was suspended so security around the project could be increased. He added that WAPDA is constantly in touch with the Chinese company.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has said that the probe into Dasu incident is in its final stages and will be completed soon. He said that he has directed security agencies to further improve the security of Chinese nationals.
