Rural Pakistan: New Infrastructure Driving Socioeconomic Revolution in Tharparkar

by Riaz Haq

Dec 22, 2022

In a 2018 New York Times Op Ed titled "How Not to Engage With Pakistan",  ex US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G. Olson wrote: "Its (CPEC's) magnitude and its transformation of parts of Pakistan dwarf anything the United States has ever undertaken". Among the parts of Pakistan being transformed by China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are some of the least developed regions in Balochistan and Sindh, specifically Gwadar and Thar Desert. Over 70% of Thar desert's population is Hindu. 

Tharparkar: Road Built Under CPEC. Source: Emmanuel Guddu

More recently, Pakistani architect and social activist Arif Hasan has detailed the socioeconomic impact of new infrastructure in Tharparkar district, further reinforcing what Ambassador Olson wrote about how CPEC is transforming Pakistan's least developed areas. In his book titled "Tharparkar: Drought, Development, and Social Change", author Arif Hasan has highlighted the following (excerpted from Arif Hasan's recent piece published in Dawn):

1. New roads, airports, solar panels, cell towers and mobile phones are opening up opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, education and healthcare for the Thari population. 

2. New infrastructure is empowering Thari women to challenge the long established patriarchy in Tharparkar. A major change has occurred in gender relations — males are less restrictive; there is an increase in education and hygiene; women now move around without male escorts. Women are giving up old traditional clothes for more fashionable dresses. 

3. Road construction in Thar that started in the Musharraf era (2000-2008)  has made transportation cheaper and easier. Before these new roads, the old six-wheeler kekra (WW II era American Army truck) was the only mode of vehicular transportation in the desert.  It was slow and expensive. It has now been replaced by normal Bedford trucks which are cheaper to run.   

4.  Bank loans to buy taxis are now available. Number of taxis operating in Thar has increased from 150 to over 400, while the qingqis in Mithi have increased from over 150 to over 300 since 2013. 

5. The old kekras (old American Army 6-wheelers) have been converted into water tankers; people can now actually order one by phone, to pick up potable water from Mithi and deliver it to villages. 

6. The new roads have helped substantially increase trade and commerce.  Thar’s agricultural produce now reaches distant markets — six to seven trucks per day carry onions from Nagarparkar to Lahore, and vegetables and fruit from other parts of Sindh and Punjab are now easily available in Thar.  

7. Roads have helped in the increase of salt and china clay mining. These have created more jobs, especially for those villages that are next to the mines. The lives of the families who have benefitted from this growth in the job market have changed and the first investments they make is in the building of pakka houses, with steel channel and brick-tiled roofs. Another important investment is in motorbikes, which makes flexible and faster mobility possible. People have sold their camels and donkeys to buy motorbikes.

8. Thari men now work in the garment industry in Karachi, where they save and send home Rs 10-12,000 a month.

9. Tourist traffic has grown in Thar with tens of thousands of people visiting the area every year after the rains and for the many religious festivals that the desert celebrates. Women producing traditional handicrafts are able to sell their wares to the tourists.  This creates economic opportunities for the local population. 

10. Dozens of carpentry workshops are now operating in Mithi. The carpenters have moved in from the rural areas of Thar, where they worked for the rural population, who paid them in grain. 

11. Number of retail stores has also increased — in Mithi there were 20 to 25 grocery stores in 2015, as opposed to seven or eight 10 years earlier. Earlier, the store owners used to travel to Hyderabad to buy goods but, today, because of the road and mobile phone, they just order the items from Karachi and the transporter delivers them. The clients at the stores are both rural and urban.

12. Access to healthcare units in district capital Mithi is a lot easier and faster, and has been of special importance in maternity-related cases.

13. With the construction of new roads, the villagers are now more willing to send their children to school, including girls, because schools are easier to access. 

Back in 2018, I wrote a post titled "CPEC is Transforming Least Developed Parts of Pakistan". Below is an except that talks about Thar development: 

Thar Desert:

Thar, one of the least developed regions of Pakistan, is seeing unprecedented development activity in energy and infrastructure projects.  New roads, airports and buildings are being built along with coal mines and power plants as part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). There are construction workers and machinery visible everywhere in the desert. Among the key beneficiaries of this boom are Thari Hindu women who are being employed by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) as part of the plan to employ locals. Highlighted in recent news reports are two Hindu women in particular: Kiran Sadhwani, an engineer and Gulaban, a truck driver.

Kiran Sadhwani, a Thari Hindu Woman Engineer. Source: Express Tribune


Thar Population:

The region has a population of 1.6 million. Most of the residents are cattle herders. Majority of them are Hindus.  The area is home to 7 million cows, goats, sheep and camels. It provides more than half of the milk, meat and leather requirement of the province. Many residents live in poverty. They are vulnerable to recurring droughts.  About a quarter of them live where the coal mines are being developed, according to a report in The Wire.

Hindu Woman Truck Driver in Thar, Pakistan. Source: Reuters


Some of them are now being employed in development projects.  A recent report talked of an underground coal gasification pilot project near the town of Islamkot where "workers sourced from local communities rested their heads after long-hour shifts".

Hindu Woman Truck Driver in Thar, Pakistan. Source: Reuters 


In the first phase, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) is relocating 5 villages that are located in block II.  SECMC is paying villagers for their homes and agricultural land.

SECMC’s chief executive officer, Shamsuddin Ahmed Shaikh, says his company "will construct model towns with all basic facilities including schools, healthcare, drinking water and filter plants and also allocate land for livestock grazing,” according to thethirdpole.net He says that the company is paying villagers above market prices for their land – Rs. 185,000 ($ 1,900) per acre.
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  • Riaz Haq

    Reko Diq Mining Company hosts open public forum in Nokkundi

    https://www.app.com.pk/domestic/reko-diq-mining-company-hosts-open-...


    QUETTA, Feb 21 (APP):Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC) held an open public forum in Nokkundi held at RDMC Technical Institute, organized by The Hunar Foundation.
    The event saw active participation from a diverse group of local stake holders including youth from Nokkundi. Notable attendees included Haji Amanullah Kubdani, Maula Bakhsh Alezai of the National Party, Wahid Bakhsh Sherzai, Nizam Lashari, Babu Razzaq Sasoli, and Muhammad Anwar from the BNP.
    During the forum, RDMC’s team provided attendees with important updates and insights on various community development initiatives, with a particular focus on the skills development program run in collaboration with The Hunar Foundation and the Mother & Child Health Center managed by the Indus Hospital Network.

    RDMC’s Community Engagement Manager Ali Dost Yallanzai, Community Investment Lead Essa Tahir Sanjrani, HR Lead Inayat Kubdani, and Community Engagement Lead Noor Khan Mengal addressed a range of queries from community members.
    A question regarding the publication of employee lists was addressed by explaining that, in line with international HR best practices, RDMC is committed to protecting employees’ privacy and safety and, as such, cannot disclose personal information about specific employees publicly.
    Regarding local hiring, it was highlighted that as of January 2025, 78 percent of RDMC’s workforce is from Balochistan, with over 50 percent from Chagai, the majority of whom are from Nokkundi.

    The forum also featured presentations from Qazi Taimoor Sanjrani, Program Manager at The Hunar Foundation, and Sher Jan Baloch, Operations Manager at Indus Hospital. These presentations highlighted the significant contributions made by both organizations, particularly regarding their local workforce.
    The community was informed that, as RDMC partners, both The Hunar Foundation and Indus Hospital prioritize local hiring. Over 95 percent of their employees are from Balochistan, with the majority coming from Chagai district.
    The community expressed their gratitude and appreciation for RDMC’s commitment to transparency and engagement through the organization of this open forum.

    Feb 21

  • Riaz Haq

    Pakistan’s Leap Forward Has A Chinese Engine – OpEd

    By Advocate Mazhar Siddique Khan

    https://www.eurasiareview.com/26042025-pakistans-leap-forward-has-a...

    The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), often reduced to a symbol of debt diplomacy by skeptics, is in fact something far more vital: the foundation of a 21st-century Pakistan. With its vast network of roads, energy projects, industrial zones, and digital infrastructure, CPEC isn’t merely about construction—it’s about transformation. Pakistan is not just building highways; it’s building pathways to sustainable growth.

    Pakistan’s transformation hinges on bold collaboration. And China’s role is not transactional—it’s transformational.

    Through strategic investments in power generation, telecommunications, and transport, China has enabled Pakistan to leapfrog over structural deficiencies that once seemed insurmountable. Energy shortages that crippled industries for decades are slowly being replaced by stability. Power plants—from hydropower to renewables—are being installed with the help of Chinese expertise, addressing one of Pakistan’s most persistent bottlenecks. Every watt added to the grid is more than a statistic; it’s another hour a factory can run, another student who can study at night, another village that enters the digital age.

    Critics may point to loans and liabilities, but overlook the value of infrastructure that outlasts repayment cycles. Roads that cut cross-country travel times in half. Fiber-optic backbones that connect rural towns to global markets. Special Economic Zones that bring foreign capital closer to local opportunity. These are investments not just in steel and silicon—but in Pakistan’s future.

    And the future belongs to the young. With China’s investments in technical education and higher learning, Pakistan’s youth are being equipped not just to participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution—but to shape it. Joint research initiatives, scholarships, and vocational training programs are bridging the skills gap that has long held the country back.

    Pakistan is not just building highways; it’s building pathways to sustainable growth.

    Pakistan’s transformation hinges on bold collaboration. And China’s role is not transactional—it’s transformational.

    Through strategic investments in power generation, telecommunications, and transport, China has enabled Pakistan to leapfrog over structural deficiencies that once seemed insurmountable. Energy shortages that crippled industries for decades are slowly being replaced by stability. Power plants—from hydropower to renewables—are being installed with the help of Chinese expertise, addressing one of Pakistan’s most persistent bottlenecks. Every watt added to the grid is more than a statistic; it’s another hour a factory can run, another student who can study at night, another village that enters the digital age.

    Critics may point to loans and liabilities, but overlook the value of infrastructure that outlasts repayment cycles. Roads that cut cross-country travel times in half. Fiber-optic backbones that connect rural towns to global markets. Special Economic Zones that bring foreign capital closer to local opportunity. These are investments not just in steel and silicon—but in Pakistan’s future.

    And the future belongs to the young. With China’s investments in technical education and higher learning, Pakistan’s youth are being equipped not just to participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution—but to shape it. Joint research initiatives, scholarships, and vocational training programs are bridging the skills gap that has long held the country back.

    With China’s support, Pakistan isn’t waiting for change—it’s leading it. The economic corridor is not a shortcut—it’s a launchpad. And Pakistan’s leap forward, powered by Chinese engines and Pakistani resolve, may yet redefine the economic geography of South Asia.

    Apr 26

  • Riaz Haq

    Located at the Sindh-Punjab-Balochistan junction, the bridge will cut Indus crossing time from 2.5 hours to 15 mins.

    Pakistan is constructing what will be the longest river bridge in South Asia, the Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge, spanning 12.5 kilometers across the Indus River in Sindh province. The project, which is expected to be completed by 2028 at an estimated cost of Rs30.5 billion, aims to enhance regional connectivity and spur economic development.
    “This is going to be the longest river bridge in the entire South Asian region,” said Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh on Investment and Public-Private Partnership, during a meeting with members of the business community on Thursday.
     

    Qamar noted that construction work has been in progress for the past two years and is currently advancing at full pace. “We aim to complete and inaugurate the bridge by 2028,” he added.

    Strategically located at the tri-junction of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, the bridge is expected to drastically cut travel time across the Indus from 2.5 hours to just 15 minutes. Beyond improving mobility, it is also seen as a solution to persistent law and order issues and kidnapping incidents in the katcha areas, the underdeveloped low-lying regions near the riverbanks.

    “While Ghotki has experienced some industrial development and better road infrastructure, Kandhkot has lagged behind. This bridge will help open up job opportunities and improve livelihoods in Kandhkot,” Qamar said.

    During the meeting, Qamar and his team also presented nearly a dozen infrastructure and social sector projects, including roads, schools, hospitals, and special economic zones, with a combined investment potential of over Rs616 billion. The aim, he said, is to attract private sector investment through public-private partnerships.

    Prominent business leaders in attendance included MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, KCCI’s Zubair Motiwala, industrialist Arif Habib, and other key stakeholders such as Arif Elahi, Danish Khan, Junaid Naqi, Zahid Saeed, Sameer Chinoy, and Danish Elahi.

    May 3