There is a bitter irony at the heart of the electricity crisis in Azad Kashmir. The region is home to some of Pakistan’s most significant hydroelectric power infrastructure — the Mangla Dam alone supplies a substantial portion of Pakistan’s electricity grid. Yet the people of AJK pay some of the highest electricity tariffs in the country.
The Mangla Dam Grievance
The Mangla Dam, built in the 1960s, displaced over 100,000 people from their homes in what is now AJK. Those communities were promised compensation that was only partially delivered. Decades later, their descendants watch the dam generate electricity that powers the rest of Pakistan, while they struggle to pay their own electricity bills.
JAAC’s Demand
The JAAC has consistently demanded that AJK residents receive preferential electricity tariffs — or at minimum, rates comparable to other parts of Pakistan — in recognition of both the region’s contribution to Pakistan’s energy supply and the economic hardship of its population.
The people of AJK generate power for a nation that does not give them rights. That is not a partnership — it is exploitation.