By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The government has moved to create a standalone paramilitary force to safeguard the nation’s most critical water and power infrastructure, including massive dams and hydropower plants that employ thousands of Chinese engineers and technicians, officials said Monday.
The new Wapda Security Force would be established under the Wapda Security Force Act of 2026, a bill that has already been forwarded to Parliament for approval, according to a statement released by the Water and Power Development Authority.
The legislation’s statement of objects and reasons describes the force as necessary “to ensure the protection and security of critical infrastructure managed by the Water and Power Development Authority.”
The decision comes in the wake of two terrorist attacks on the $6 billion Dasu Hydropower Project in northern Pakistan that killed both Chinese and Pakistani workers. The first strike occurred in November 2021; the second, in March 2024. The assaults prompted Chinese contractors to suspend work on the project for more than a year, resuming only after high-level government intervention, compensation payments, and acceptance of significant cost overruns and delays.
Until now, security for such projects has been patchwork. Two special divisions of the Pakistan Army have provided outer-layer protection for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, projects in Balochistan and along the route into Gilgit-Baltistan. But WAPDA-managed initiatives, even those involving Chinese personnel, did not automatically fall under that umbrella.
An official familiar with the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the legislation is still pending, said the gaps forced a broader overhaul of WAPDA’s internal security apparatus. Following consultations with Beijing, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed that CPEC-level security — including army oversight — be extended to all major water-sector projects, especially those employing Chinese nationals, the official said. The new force is intended to fill the remaining voids.
The Wapda Security Force would be commanded by a director general, most likely a senior officer drawn from the armed forces, and would operate under its own uniform, insignia, and official stamp. It would have authority in specially notified zones across the country, with primary responsibility for protecting dams, powerhouses, machinery, equipment, offices, and the living quarters of workers. The force would also escort personnel travelling to and from project sites.
In practice, the new unit would supplement — rather than replace — existing security. In Sindh province, for example, it would operate alongside the paramilitary Rangers and local police at the K-4 Greater Water Supply Scheme. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, it would coordinate with the Frontier Constabulary.
The force’s superintendence would rest with the federal government, while day-to-day control would remain with WAPDA. Its size would be adjusted according to evolving threat assessments. Officers and rank-and-file members would be governed by the Essential Services Act, barred from outside employment while serving, and exempt from the Industrial Relations Act of 2012 and the Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance of 1968.
The draft law also grants broad legal protections. No suit, prosecution, or other legal proceeding may be brought against the government, WAPDA, the director general, or any officer or staff member for actions taken “in good faith” under the act. A specific clause states that “an officer or staff of the force shall not be subject to any criminal or civil liability for actions taken in exercise of powers and functions under this Wapda Security Force Act.”
The legislation would also empower the force to prevent encroachment and trespassing on notified sites, in coordination with intelligence agencies and other law-enforcement bodies, when directed by the government.
The move underscores the strategic importance Pakistan places on its water and energy infrastructure — and on its deepening economic and security partnership with China. The Dasu project alone is a cornerstone of efforts to expand the country’s hydropower capacity and ease chronic electricity shortages. Parliamentary approval of the bill is expected in the coming weeks, after which the force could begin standing up operations at priority sites.
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