ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Water Resources on Tuesday again deferred approval of the WAPDA Security Force Bill, 2026 following reservations expressed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmakers, particularly over proposed powers of arrest within a one-kilometer radius of WAPDA projects. The committee, chaired by Ahmad Atteeq Anwar, took up the bill for consideration, but PPP MNAs Javed Ali Shah Jilani, Saba Talpur and Zulfiqar Ali Behan opposed its approval, saying their party required further clarification on certain provisions. Jilani said the PPP had reservations over the proposed legislation and maintained that WAPDA personnel should not be given powers of arrest. Chairman WAPDA former Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed briefed the committee on the proposed legislation, including the rationale behind granting limited arrest powers to the WAPDA Security Force. He said more than 100 attacks had been reported on WAPDA projects, while the proposed force would primarily deal with trespassing and security-related incidents within the jurisdiction of WAPDA installations. He added that maintaining a dedicated WAPDA Security Force would be financially more economical than deploying personnel from other security forces, including the Army. Following the briefing, the PPP members said they were positively inclined towards the bill but wanted their party leadership to be properly briefed before taking a final position. They suggested that the Federal Minister for Water Resources approach the PPP leadership through the appropriate channel. K-IV project: The committee also discussed the K-IV water supply project delayed for nearly two decades, and constituted a four-member subcommittee to examine the reasons for the delay, outstanding issues and future course of action for completion of the project. The committee was informed that K-IV Phase-I requires 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity to enable completion by December 2026. The chairman said the project was facing a shortage of funds, but added that the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister had assured the project authorities that the required financing would be provided. The committee was informed that Rs10 billion had been allocated for K-IV under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). MNA Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan said at least Rs40 billion should have been allocated for the project under the PSDP and urged the authorities to ensure that the required funds were made available. “We should be told whether funds for K-IV are guaranteed, ” he said, adding that the people of Karachi wanted to know when the project would finally be completed. He also questioned the pace and quality of work on the project, saying Karachi residents were being forced to spend a huge amount on water tankers. The internal work of water supply will be completed by 2031 with financing from the World Bank as digging of roads and removal of infrastructure is required. However, there is no issue of funding to complete the project. MNA Syed Amin-ul-Haq, who was the mover of Calling Attention Notice in the National Assembly expressed serious concern over the prolonged delay, noting that the K-IV project had remained incomplete since 2014. He said it was unfortunate that senior political leaders, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, were also dependent on water tankers. “In this situation, we should be ashamed of ourselves, ” he remarked, expressing frustration over the continued delay. The committee chairman observed that an examination of the project’s implementation over the past decade could require a separate investigation to determine the reasons for repeated delays. The committee also discussed augmentation and water transmission components of K-IV. MNA Syed Waseem Hussain proposed that a subcommittee examine the project’s augmentation and water transmission issues. He said provision of water to Karachi was not merely a provincial issue but a matter of national importance. The chairman subsequently decided to constitute a subcommittee to examine the construction, augmentation and water transmission aspects of the K-IV project. Sindh irrigation authorities informed the committee that Karachi’s water requirements were increasing rapidly, making timely completion and future expansion of K-IV essential. PCA ruling on Indus Waters Treaty: Responding to a question regarding the latest developments concerning the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner Mehar Ali Shah said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) had issued an award on August 31, 2026, concerning India’s actions relating to hydroelectric projects in occupied Kashmir. He said the PCA had upheld the continuing applicability of the Indus Waters Treaty and rejected India’s position that the treaty could be placed in “abeyance”. According to Shah, India had announced that it was placing the treaty in abeyance, following which Pakistan filed another application before the relevant international forum. He said the PCA had observed that there was no provision in the treaty for unilateral “abeyance” and that the treaty remained in force. Shah said the PCA had also considered statements made by Indian government functionaries and examined arguments relating to sovereignty, terrorism and security concerns and did not agree to Indian stance. He said the PCA’s press release was available on its website, while the detailed decision would be made public on September 7, 2026. He added that the PCA had not accepted India’s position on “abeyance” and indicated that any changes concerning the treaty would require adherence to stringent legal criteria but India’s claims could not change the status of the Treaty. According to the press release Chairman WAPDA briefed the Committee on the vital role of the WAPDA Security Force (WSF) in safeguarding national assets, securing scattered installations, and protecting national and foreign personnel working on WAPDA projects. He highlighted that the proposed WSF Act would provide the Force with the requisite legal authority and operational framework to effectively discharge its responsibilities. The Committee was further informed that the WAPDA Act, 1958 presently contains no statutory provisions regarding the creation, jurisdiction, powers, or functions of the security setup. After a threadbare discussion, the Committee decided to defer consideration of the Bill until its next meeting. The committee appointed a sub-committee under the convenorship of Muhammad Idrees “to investigate the non-completion of K-IV project despite huge expenditure incurred”. The Committee discussed the establishment of the Tarbela Dam Authority for the settlement and rehabilitation of Tarbela Dam affectees, as presented by Babar Nawaz Khan. After detailed deliberation, the Committee emphasized the need for a clear and legally viable mechanism to address their longstanding concerns and recommended that the Ministry propose an appropriate legal way forward for the effective resolution of the matter. The following MNA’s namely, Shamaila Rana, Muhammad Idrees, Syed Javed Ali Shah Jillani, Shazia Marri, (On Zoom), Saba Talpur, Mian Khan Bugti, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Syed Waseem Hussain, Amin Ul Haque (Mover), Babar Nawaz Khan (Mover), Mian Muhammad Mueen Watto (Federal Minister for Water Resources) besides the officials of the Ministry of Water Resources attended the meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
WAPDA Security Force Bill: NA body again defers approval after lawmakers’ objections
RELATED ARTICLES
