LAHORE: The federal government on Saturday appointed Member Finance Naveed Asghar Chaudhry as the acting chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), following the resignation of retired Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Chaudhry has been given the additional charge for a period of three months or until a regular appointment is made — whichever comes first.

This is the second time Mr Chaudhry has held interim charge.

He briefly served as Wapda chairman in 2022 after the departure of Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain, before handing over to Mr Ghani. He will now oversee the authority’s affairs alongside his current responsibilities as Member Finance.

Tensions over hydel projects, SOE Act mark end of Ghani’s tenure

Mr Ghani tendered his resignation after nearly three years in office (August 2022 to June 2025). Speaking to Dawn, he cited personal reasons for stepping down, and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for supporting hydropower initiatives despite the country’s financial constraints. He expressed hope that Wapda would be able to carry forward ongoing projects, provided funding hurdles are addressed.

However, insiders point to deeper policy-level frictions that strained relations between the Authority and the federal government.

One major flashpoint was the handling of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, which suffered tunnel collapses in both 2022 and 2023, rendering it non-operational for nearly two years.

While the government initiated inquiries to determine responsibility, Mr Ghani advocated immediate rehabilitation funded through loans, arguing that delays were inflicting massive financial losses. The divergent approaches led to policy disagreements.

Another source of contention was the government’s attempt — under IMF pressure — to bring Wapda under the purview of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Act.

This would place an independent board of directors over the Wapda Authority, a move resisted by Wapda leadership.

They argued that the Wapda Act of 1958 had effectively served the country for decades, and that the organisation’s self-reliant financing model made such oversight unnecessary.

As the Authority’s head, Gen Ghani took a firm stance on the issue, placing him at odds with key policymakers.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025