ABS & Co is pleased to announce that Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi, Partner and Head of the firm’s Construction & Engineering Practice, has been appointed as a Dispute Board (DB) Member on the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme – K-IV 260 MGD (Phase I), one of Pakistan’s largest and most strategically significant urban infrastructure projects.
Bakhtawar has been appointed to serve on the Dispute Boards for two major civil works packages under Phase I of the K-IV Project:
- Package No. KIV-PL1: Pressurized Water Transmission MS Pipelines and Allied Works from RD 00+000 to RD 64+200, with a contract value of PKR 52,270,913,909
- Package No. KIV-PL2: Pressurized Water Transmission MS Pipelines and Allied Works from RD 62+200 to RD 111+700, with a contract value of PKR 28,846,178,428
The contracts have been awarded to M/s CHEC–AFI (JV), a joint venture comprising China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and Al-Fajar International. The Employer is the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). The project is being executed under the 2010 FIDIC Conditions of Contract with standing Dispute Boards constituted to provide ongoing dispute avoidance and resolution throughout the life of the contracts.
The K-IV Scheme aims to draw raw water from an intake structure at Keenjhar Lake and transmit it through a high-capacity pressurized pipeline system to the city of Karachi, ultimately delivering 260 million gallons per day (MGD) of potable water. This initiative is a vital response to Karachi’s acute water supply challenges and forms part of a broader effort to ensure long-term urban water resilience.
Bakhtawar joins a distinguished panel of Dispute Board members which includes Engr. Mushtaq Ahmed Smore and Engr. Sardar Mir Afridi, the latter of whom serves as Chairman of the Dispute Board.
Bakhtawar is recognised as one of Pakistan’s foremost experts in construction law and infrastructure disputes. His appointment reflects over a decade of experience in contentious and advisory work under FIDIC Red, Yellow, and MDB Harmonised editions, and a strong track record of acting in complex claims involving delay, termination, design defects, variation orders, and employer default across large-scale public and private sector projects.
ABS & Co is consistently ranked in Band 1 for Construction Disputes by The Legal 500, and this appointment further reinforces the firm’s leading role in the infrastructure, energy, and public projects sectors across Pakistan and the region.
