Daily Times

Sir: Wahi Pandhi is a major but impoverished area of Kacho, from Dadu District. The population of our city is 50,000. There are many problems here which need to be addressed. Our main roads are in complete disarray. The Wahi Pandhi Hospital was built in 1991, but it has lacked basic facilities ever since. We just have a single doctor who is working here. Since he is a man, women have no place to get medical treatment. The men aren’t that much luckier though, since he is only one doctor, hundreds of patients come to the hospital and leave without being able to get the attention they need.

There are no proper arrangements for girl’s education either. Most girls abandon their education after completing their primary education, because there are no schools or colleges for girls. In 2011, a degree college was announced for Wahi Pandhi, but the programme was abandoned after the 2013 elections. Half of the college building was left incomplete, which is a clear education that the people who started this programme only did so because of their political interests.

The people of Kacho have no healthcare, education or clean water. The Zamzama gas unit belonging to BHP Billiton is also located in Dadu district. That said, Wahi Pandhi is only 25 KM from the gas field. Natural gas has been discovered from Karo Kot, a hilly area about 10 KM away from Wahi Pandhi and a multinational company POLISH is working there to extract gas. Despite that, neither gas nor other facilities have been provided to this city by the company. People are forced to use firewood for cooking and heating, and many have gotten eye problems as a result of the smoke and ash created by using firewood.

The MPAs and other political leaders have forgotten the people of the area and I hereby appeal to the government on their behalf to provide their basic needs.

KHALIQ ZAMAN RUSTAMANI

Wahi Pandhi, Dadu

Published in Daily Times, January 19^th 2018.