MANGLA: A former General Manager (Hydel), WAPDA, Riaz Hussain who devoted 27 years of his professional career to the Mangla Dam Power Project, recently returned to Mangla Power Station with his grandchildren—revisiting a place closely associated with his professional journey, public service and some of the most significant years of his life.
His association with the Mangla Power Project spanned from 1980 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2012. He began his journey at Mangla as a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and, over the course of a distinguished engineering career, went on to serve as Resident Engineer of Mangla Power Station, before later rising to the position of General Manager (Hydel), WAPDA.
For him, Mangla was never simply a place of employment.
“It was not just a job; it was service to the nation.”
Mangla Dam and its power station have played an important role in Pakistan’s energy and water infrastructure for decades, contributing hydroelectric power to the national grid while supporting the irrigation of vast areas of agricultural land.
Riaz Hussain recalled with particular pride his involvement in preparations for the modernisation of Mangla Power Station. After approximately half a century of successful operation, the station entered an important phase of refurbishment and upgrading. During his tenure as Resident Engineer, he had the Equipment Condition Assessment carried out—an important step towards evaluating the generating equipment and planning its rehabilitation and future operation.
The ongoing refurbishment and upgrading programme is designed to increase Mangla Power Station’s installed generation capacity from 1,000 MW to 1,310 MW.
Yet, during this visit, the engineering achievements and professional titles were accompanied by something much more personal.
Walking through the power station with his grandchildren, he revisited offices and familiar surroundings connected with decades of his working life. His grandchildren saw his name displayed on boards in different offices and photographs from his years of service preserved in the conference room. They proudly stood beside these reminders of their grandfather’s contribution and had photographs taken with them.
Reflecting on the experience, he described it as one of the most valuable moments of his life. Positions and titles, he observed, come and go, but being able to show future generations the results of a lifetime of hard work—and seeing pride and respect in their eyes—is a very different kind of achievement.
He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Muhammad Tariq, Chief Engineer Power, Mangla; Naveed, Resident Engineer Power Station; and Qaiser, XEN Operations, for arranging permission for the visit, providing a detailed tour and extending warm hospitality to him and his family.
He also praised the present management and staff of Mangla Power Station for maintaining its longstanding professional traditions and for continuing to operate and maintain the facility to a high standard.
For Riaz Hussain, the visit was therefore much more than a return to a former workplace. It brought together 27 years of service, a lifetime of professional memories and the opportunity to share that legacy with the next generation.