Press Release Title: Senator Rana Mahmood Ul Hassan, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat Presiding over a Meeting of The Committee at Sindh Assembly, Karachi

Press Release Date: 9th January, 2026

Senate Standing Committee calls Sindh Govt to curb tanker mafia and upgrade Karachi’s water system in line with K-IV project The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Division held a meetng at the Sindh Assembly, Karachi, on January 09, 2026, to receive a briefing on the performance of the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). The meeting was chaired by Senator Rana Mehmood-ul-Hassan and attended by Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, Senator Abdul Qadir Khan, Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Att-ur-Rehman, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, along with MPA Saima Agha, MPA Shariq Jamal and MPA Rana Shoukat Ali. The committee was briefed by the Additional Secretary, Establishment Division, as well as senior officials of NESPAK and OGRA. NESPAK informed the committee about its ongoing development portfolio in Sindh and Balochistan. It was stated that NESPAK is currently executing 82 projects in Sindh with a total estimated cost of Rs 1,558 billion, while 17 projects are underway in Balochistan. The committee expressed serious reservations over the stagnation of several projects and delays in their completion and directed NESPAK to ensure better monitoring and timely execution. During the meeting, the committee was also apprised of the acute water shortage in Karachi and the illegal monopoly of the tanker mafia. Members expressed grave concern over the situation and lamented that the tanker mafia has been allowed to hijack the city’s water supply, forcing citizens to pay for water. The committee recommended that the Sindh Government should take immediate measures to curb the tanker mafia and upgrade Karachi’s existing water infrastructure in line with the K-IV water supply project. The committee further decided that the funding and progress of the K-IV project would be reviewed on a bi-annual basis. It was also suggested that the Senate Standing Committees on Finance, Planning and Cabinet Division, along with other relevant committees, should convene a joint meeting with the Chief Minister Sindh and provincial stakeholders on a one-point agenda of the K-IV project. The Mayor of Karachi, Chief Secretary Sindh and Managing Director of the Water Board will also be called to this meeting.   OGRA, in its briefing, informed the committee about its plan to digitize 12,000 petrol pumps across the country. Under Phase-I, customers will be provided with a mobile application and handheld devices through which all legal fuel stations will be visible, while illegal pumps can be reported. It was further informed that around 15,000 oil tank lorries will be monitored through a Track and Trace System developed by PITB, which will help identify illegal fuel movement and report it to the enforcement authorities. In the next phase, digital gauging of fuel pumps will also be introduced to ensure transparency and curb pilferage.