Zafar Mehmood appointed IRSA chairman

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the appointment of Zafar Mehmood, a retired BS-22 federal government officer, as the new chairman of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) for a three-year tenure under the IRSA ordinance promulgated to restructure the authority.

Zafar Mehmood has earlier served as secretary establishment, commerce, water and power as well as Wapda chairman. The prime minister on March 12 approved the name of Zafar Mehmood as IRSA chairman among the list of three contenders, including IRSA’s federal member and member Wapda.

Earlier, former president Dr Arif Alvi had refused to sign the summary of the then caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar seeking promulgation of the said ordinance. However, Kakar, under Article 48 of the Constitution re-sent the ordinance to Alvi and afterwards under Article 89, the IRSA ordinance was promulgated on February 16, 2024. However, the changes in the IRSA Act will be included later through parliament as desired in the ordinance. This main initiative of the IRSA ordinance was taken upon with the approval of SIFC (Special Investment Facilitation Council).

IRSA, which regulates the water distribution among the four federating units Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan, currently consists of five members, one each nominated by each province and the federal government. In the IRSA, the chairman used to be picked on a rotation basis from the four provincial members. But after the IRSA ordinance is promulgated, the prime minister has attained the powers to appoint a serving or retired employee of the federal government in BPS-21 or above as chairman IRSA. The chairman will have no voting rights. Nonetheless, the chairman will have the veto powers to review the grievance of any provincial government, any member of IRSA or Wapda against the decision of the authority before making any reference to the Council of Common Interests.

The chairman will also have powers to request the federal government to assist the IRSA through the armed forces or other law enforcement agencies for the protection, safeguarding and securing of any location or installation that has been duly declared to be of strategic importance under the IRSA Act. “This would increase the footprint of the federal government undermining the independence of the body and national cohesion,” relevant officials and water experts said.

The post of vice chairman will also be created. The vice chairman will be from the four provincial members selected for one year on a rotation basis. In addition, an independent water experts committee would be constituted to assist the chairman and the authority on technical matters. The IRSA would also be granted powers to proceed against persons and entities involved in water theft, tampering with water data and other illegal or fraudulent activities as per the law. Independent water experts are of the view that Sindh, being a low riparian federating unit, is very sensitive to water availability issues.

During Gen (retd) Musharraf’s regime when water scarcity hit the country because of the long-drawn drought, the post of a federal member was created to resolve the dispute between the provinces on water releases. The federal member used to be appointed from Sindh, but for a long time, the federal member has been from Punjab. Now, if the chairman is appointed from the bureaucracy by the prime minister, then Punjab and the federal government would practically have more representation in the authority which would be opposed by the smaller provinces when it comes to the decision-making on water issues.

Currently, the chairman is elevated on a rotation basis from the four provincial members. If that continues to happen, the federal government says the member appointed by the province always advocates for his provincial water interests. In that case, when he becomes chairman, he would make decisions that would always offend other members and the provincial governments. However, the fact is that IRSA members always decide on water issues through a majority vote.