Ashfaq Mahmood is currently serving as a Consultant to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). He previously held several senior positions in the Government of Pakistan, including Federal Secretary for Water and Power, as well as assignments in the Ministries of Planning and Development; Information Technology and Telecommunications; Science and Technology; and as Special Secretary of Finance.
As Secretary for Water and Power, he was responsible for addressing international transboundary water issues, including those related to India, as well as domestic water challenges. His portfolio included oversight of key national institutions such as the Pakistan Commission for Indus Waters (PCIW), the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), in addition to the national power sector. He has contributed to the formulation of multiple national development policies and served as Co-Chair of the Trilateral Dialogue on Watershed Management and Irrigation Technologies between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United States. He has also served as Advisor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on transboundary issues and hydro-diplomacy, and as Chairman of National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK). Mr Mahmood is an active member of several policy think tanks and is frequently invited to deliver lectures at national staff colleges. He is the author of two books: Hydro-Diplomacy: Preventing Water War Between Nuclear-Armed Pakistan and India and Long-Term Planning of Power Systems.
