ISLAMABAD: Naveed Asghar Chaudhry has been appointed as the acting chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), following the resignation of retired Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani. The Ministry of Water Resources issued a notification confirming Asghar’s appointment.
Ghani resigned earlier in the day after nearly three years in office. He had taken charge in 2022, following the resignation of retired Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain. At that time, Asghar had briefly served as acting chairman before handing over the post to Ghani.
Asghar will now serve as Wapda’s acting chairman for three months or until a permanent appointment is made. He will continue to hold his existing post as Member (Finance) in the Water Resources Division.
During Ghani’s tenure, Asghar accompanied him on visits to major development sites, including the Mohmand Dam being built on the River Swat.
In May this year, Ghani visited the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, around 41 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, after the site was reportedly damaged by Indian shelling. He strongly condemned the incident and said that targeting water infrastructure was against international laws and the Geneva Convention, even during war.
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Also in May, Ghani managed to convince a jirga to end a two-week-long sit-in by assuring them that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed a committee to look into the grievances of families affected by the Dasu Hydropower Project. These residents had earlier staged protests in February and April, demanding relocation compensation and other rights.
In April, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised serious concerns over inefficiencies and financial irregularities in national hydropower projects—especially the Dasu and Neelum-Jhelum schemes.
In a later development, Ghani claimed progress in the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme, commonly known as the K-IV Project. He had urged the project team to speed up construction to meet deadlines, describing the project as crucial for Karachi’s water needs.
However, the K-IV Project has now suffered a major financial setback. In the current federal budget, only Rs3.2 billion has been allocated—far below the required Rs40 billion. This has raised fears that the long-delayed project could face another decade of delay.
Background of Previous Chairmen
Lt Gen (R) Sajjad Ghani, who recently resigned, had officially taken charge as Wapda’s 23rd chairman in 2022. A professional engineer, he had over four decades of experience in both civil and military engineering.
He graduated in engineering from the Military College of Engineering in 1984 and completed his master’s in civil engineering from UET Lahore in 1990.
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In the Pakistan Army, he served as Engineer-in-Chief and later as Quartermaster General, overseeing several major construction projects. He also held key positions such as Vice Chief of General Staff at GHQ and Corps Commander Karachi. He joined the army in 1978 and also commanded an infantry division during the Swat operation.
Before Ghani, Lt Gen (R) Muzammil Hussain had served as Wapda chairman for five years. He resigned on May 7, 2022, citing personal reasons. Appointed by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2016, his tenure saw the start and completion of several major hydropower projects, including Neelum-Jhelum, Kachhi Canal, Tarbela 4th Extension, and Golen Gol.
At the time of his resignation, Muzammil Hussain had stated that over 10 major projects worth more than Rs260 billion were under development, many of which had earlier faced delays or technical issues.
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