Islamabad: National Assembly Standing Committee on Water Resources 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 PKR 10 billion had been allocated for K-IV under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
MNA Muhammad Jawed Hanif Khan said at least PKR 40 billion should have been allocated for the project under the PSDP and urged the authorities to ensure that the required funds were made available.
