ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was informed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that a task force had been formed to review waterrelated projects for the twin cities and address current and projected water demands.

Islamabad, which has been witnessing fast growth in its population, is a water scarcity hit city as no new dam has been constructed during the last three decades.

The issue of water shortage came under discussion in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior with Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman in the chair. The committee discussed the point of public importance regarding the water crisis in Islamabad raised by Senator FawziaArshad during a sitting of the Senate.

She highlighted the situation in G-6/4 where thousands of complaints remain unresolved.

Minister Naqvi informed the meeting that a task force formed on the prime minister`s directive was reviewing key water projects and Senator Arshad had been invited to attend the task force`s next meeting to assess progress.

Sources said the interior minister and adviser to the prime minister Dr Syed Taugir Hassain Shah were chairperson and co-chairperson of the 11-member task force. The term of reference of the task force stated: `In pursuance of CCI decision of 2016 to allocate 200 cusecs water to twin cities for drinking purposes, develop a comprehensive and sustainable water supply plan for Islamabad and Rawalpindi, addressing current and projecteddemand, availability of surface and groundwater resources, infrastructure constraints and future urban growth, with emphasis on resource sustainability and climate resilience.

The task force will recommend mechanism for inter-agency coordination among all relevant federal, provincial and municipal organisations. It will facilitate coordination with adjacent district and provinces to develop joint water resource management models, cooperative agreements and basin level planning frameworks to enhance the resilience and sustainability of water supply for twin cities.

Besides other functions, the task force will prepare actionable and phased implementation plan for the proposed water supply strategy, including prioritised projects, indicative timeliness, financing requirements, risk mitigation strategies and performance monitoring mechanism.

The task force is also tasked to ensure availability of clean drinking water by identifying and taking proactive measures against contamination of various water supply sources in twin cities.

It will also assess the necessity of increasing the storage capacity of Rawal Dam, Simli Dam and Khanpur Dam to address current and projected water demands and identifying viable locations for construction of new dams in the capital region through comprehensive feasibility studies.

The task force was notified on May 22 this year and the initial meeting of the task force was held on June 25.

Meanwhile, the committee discussed the Extradition (Amendment) Bill 2025, which has been passed by the National Assembly and referred to concerned ministries for input.

The ministry supported the proposed amendments.

The Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2025 was also reviewed, which seeks to address concerns of overseas Pakistanis who are unable to resume citizenship after acquiring foreign nationality. The amendment aims to bridge this legal gap in cases where dual nationality arrangements exist.

Senator Hidayatullah Khan raisedconcerns over inefficiencies at passport offices, citing delays and mishandling of cases.

The interior minister assured the committee that the matter would be investigated.

The committee also discussed quota allocations in prohibited areas, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

The interior minister said the policy was under revision and that Nadralinked licence cancellations were also being reviewed.

The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025, moved by Senator Mohammad Tallal Badar was examined.

The proposed changes include life imprisonment and fines for crimes against women and for harbouring individuals involved in hijacking.

Moreover, The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025, introduced by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri was deferred.

The committee also recommended convening an in-camera meeting to address security concerns raised by Senator Saifullah Abro in Sindh.

Members unanimously agreed that no compromise should be made in matters involving threats to members` families.

On the issue of Muharram security preparations, the committee was briefed on coordination efforts in KP, including inter-agency collaboration, drone surveillance and sealing of provincial boundaries. Senator Abdul Qadir raised concerns about security gaps on the D.I. Khan-Balochistan route.

KP police acknowledged the issue and reported that six new security posts had been approved under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and coordination with the Ministry of Interior and NHA had strengthened response capabilities.

Regarding the recent Mardan incident, the KP police reported significant progress including the arrest of facilitators and elimination of key militant elements.

The chairman stressed the need for maximum on-ground presence and visible deterrence to ensure peaceful observance of Muharram.