Islamabad Capital Territory

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan
Pakistan’s major water reservoirs have reached 58 percent of their combined storage capacity as authorities prepare for another spell of widespread monsoon rainfall expected to intensify flood risks across several parts of the country through July 25.
Officials from the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources that the overall water storage situation remains under control despite increasing inflows caused by recent heavy rains. According to the latest figures, Tarbela Dam is operating at approximately 69 percent of its storage capacity, while Mangla Dam has reached 45 percent. Collectively, the country’s major reservoirs are now 58 percent full.
The commission reported that the Chenab River is currently carrying high water flows following recent rainfall, although levels remain below the official danger threshold. Low flood conditions are being observed in the Indus River downstream and the Jhelum River, while authorities continue to monitor changing river conditions as additional rain systems approach.
During the briefing, officials informed lawmakers that India has stopped sharing flood-related hydrological data with Pakistan following its unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The interruption has reduced Pakistan’s access to upstream river information that has traditionally supported flood forecasting and emergency planning.
Indus Waters Commissioner Syed Mehr Ali Shah told the committee that Pakistan has not received any indication of additional water releases from Indian reservoirs into shared rivers. However, officials explained that the Federal Flood Commission is now relying on alternative information sources, satellite observations, and its own monitoring network to track river levels because official Indian flood monitoring websites are no longer accessible within Pakistan.
Members of the Senate committee expressed concern over reports regarding Indian dam operations and stressed that Pakistan must further strengthen its flood forecasting, early warning systems, and disaster preparedness to reduce risks to vulnerable communities.
Officials also highlighted the limitations of the country’s existing water storage infrastructure, noting that Pakistan’s reservoirs have the capacity to absorb only about 20 percent of flood flows during major rainfall events. As a result, significant downstream flooding remains possible during periods of exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall.
The committee was informed that between July 2 and July 20, multiple weather-related disasters were reported across Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab. These incidents included glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), flash floods, cloudbursts, and riverbank erosion, causing damage to infrastructure and increasing pressure on emergency response agencies.
With another round of heavy monsoon rains forecast across much of the country, Senator Jam Saifullah Khan sought a detailed briefing on the government’s preparedness and emergency response measures. The committee also directed senior irrigation officials from Punjab and Sindh to attend future meetings in person after expressing dissatisfaction over one official participating through a video link, emphasizing the importance of direct coordination during the ongoing monsoon season.

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan
Pakistan is set to establish its first aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility built to European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards at Islamabad International Airport, marking a major step toward modernising the country’s aviation infrastructure and reducing dependence on foreign maintenance providers.
The project forms part of the Ministry of Defence’s Aviation Sector Transformation Program and is being developed by private aviation services company Nortec. Alongside the MRO facility, the company will construct a state of the art aircraft maintenance hangar and a Full Flight Simulator to support advanced pilot training at the airport.
Once completed, the MRO centre will provide comprehensive inspection, maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for a range of commercial aircraft, including the Airbus A318 and A319 families. The facility is expected to enable airlines operating in Pakistan to carry out major maintenance work domestically, significantly reducing the need to send aircraft abroad for servicing. This is expected to lower operational costs, shorten maintenance turnaround times, and improve fleet availability.
The new maintenance complex will also create opportunities for the development of a highly skilled aviation workforce by providing engineers, technicians, and maintenance professionals with access to internationally recognised facilities and standards.
In a parallel development, Airblue is constructing its own modern aircraft maintenance hangar at Islamabad International Airport. The hangar will provide a controlled environment that protects aircraft, engineering teams, maintenance equipment, and technical operations from adverse weather while improving the efficiency and safety of maintenance activities.
The airline is also developing a modern Flight Training Centre equipped with a Full Flight Simulator, which is expected to become operational by April 2027. The simulator will allow pilots to receive advanced training and recurrent certification within Pakistan, reducing training costs and limiting the need for overseas simulator sessions.
Officials said the combined projects represent a significant investment in Pakistan’s aviation sector and are designed to improve technical capability, strengthen regulatory compliance with international standards, and position Islamabad International Airport as a regional centre for aircraft maintenance and aviation training. The initiatives are also expected to support long term growth in the country’s commercial aviation industry while enhancing operational safety and self reliance.

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan
South Korea’s state owned power company, Korea South East Power Company (KOEN), has sought the immediate intervention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, warning that prolonged regulatory delays at the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) have placed two hydropower projects worth nearly $1 billion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at risk.

In a letter sent to the prime minister, KOEN Chief Executive Officer Kim Min-young said the company had been working since 2016 on the 229 megawatt Asrit Kedam and 238 megawatt Kalam Asrit run of river hydropower projects on the Swat River.

The two projects have a combined generation capacity of 467 megawatts and are expected to attract approximately $1 billion in foreign direct investment.

According to the company, a hearing on the tariff determination for the projects was held at NEPRA three years ago, but the regulator has yet to issue a final decision.

The letter stated that KOEN had repeatedly approached NEPRA through written correspondence and in-person meetings. It added that the NEPRA Appellate Tribunal had also directed the regulator in July 2024 to decide the tariff matter, but the order had not yet been implemented.

KOEN said it had already spent around $25 million on feasibility studies, engineering designs, environmental assessments and other preliminary work related to the projects.

The company warned that any further delay in regulatory approval, or the exclusion of the projects from the revised Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan 2035, could jeopardise the proposed $1 billion investment and damage the confidence of foreign investors in Pakistan.

KOEN is a subsidiary of the Korea Electric Power Corporation and has been investing in Pakistan’s energy sector since 2011.

The company recently raised the same concerns during a meeting with Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, stressing the need to remove regulatory obstacles and facilitate progress on the two hydropower projects.