The Sindh government has called on federal institutions to immediately pay outstanding water dues amounting to Rs20 billion. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has taken up the issue with the federal government. PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro directed the Additional Chief Secretary for Local Government and the CEO of the Karachi Water Board to write to the relevant federal institutions to expedite payments.
Representatives of these institutions have been summoned to appear before the PAC on January 21 to address the matter. “Since 2016, various federal institutions, including Pakistan Steel Mills, Sui Southern Gas, KPT, Pakistan Railways, PIA, and others, owe Rs20 billion in water charges to Sindh, but the dues remain unpaid,” Khuhro stated.
He further highlighted that Pakistan Steel Mills alone owes Rs10 billion. “Sindh has provided water services to these institutions, yet they have failed to settle their dues. This is unjust to the province,” he added. Khuhro appealed to the Prime Minister to take immediate notice of the situation and ensure the federal institutions fulfill their financial obligations. “The failure to pay these dues is equivalent to economically sidelining Sindh. If Sindh is not given its fair share in the NFC, the least that can be done is to pay its water charges,” he said.
He warned, “Sindh will not back down in its fight to secure its rights. As a province that contributes 70 percent of the country’s revenue, such treatment is unacceptable. Weakening Sindh economically is akin to weakening the country itself.” Khuhro stressed that the federal government must urgently direct its institutions to pay Sindh the Rs20 billion owed in water dues, ensuring economic fairness and stability for the province.
