It is a very interesting and important fact that the announcement to establish a campus of NED University in Thar was first made by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari seven years ago, on 10 April 2019, during the inauguration of the two power plants and coal mine at Thar Coal Block-II.
Only a few days ago, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, arrived at Thar to inaugurate the newly constructed building of the Thar Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (TIEST), established in the area allocated for the NED University campus. Undoubtedly, when announcements made by rulers take practical shape, it not only accelerates regional development but also reflects their sense of responsibility towards their positions of authority, showing that they are fulfilling their duties and promises they make with the masses.
However, what is surprising is that on the occasion of inaugurating the NED University campus, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah seemed to have forgotten their own announcement made seven years ago regarding spending the royalty collected from Thar coal projects on Thar itself, as there was no mention of royalty at all. This is despite the fact that electricity generation of 2,640 MW from Thar Coal Blocks II and I has been continuously supplied to the national grid for the past seven years. During this period, the Sindh government has received reportedly around Rs 32 billion in royalty from the companies. Out of this amount, Engro, operating at Block-II, has confirmed payment of Rs 18 billion as royalty to the Sindh government, while Sino Sindh, operating at Block-I, has paid Rs 14 billion as royalty.
Yet, seven years ago, on 10 April 2019, during the inauguration of the power plant and coal mine at Thar Coal Block-II, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced in their speeches that the entire royalty from Thar coal would be spent on the development of Thar. Unfortunately, even after seven years, the Sindh government has not acted upon this announcement. That is why today the people of Thar are reminding Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that the Thar Coal Project was the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, and for the past seven years, that dream has been taking shape. Electricity worth 2,640 MW from two coal blocks has been supplied regularly to the national grid, and as per the slogan, “Thar is changing Pakistan.” However, the bitter reality is that the dream envisioned by Ms Benazir Bhutto—when she had laid the foundation stone of a 1,320 MW power plant at Thar Coal Block-II on 19 January 1995 as Prime Minister, along with Hong Kong–based company owner Gordon Wu—of not only developing Thar coal but also ending backwardness and ushering in prosperity for Thar, has still not been fulfilled. There is no denial that to realize Ms Benazir Bhutto’s dream, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah jointly announced on 10 April 2019, during the inauguration of the power plant and coal mine at Thar Coal Block-II, that the entire royalty from Thar coal would be spent on the development of Thar. But it is deeply unfortunate and astonishing that this announcement has been buried under the dust of governance—lost amid unknown engagements, negligence, and carelessness. Due to the failure to implement even a fraction of this promise, Tharis remain mired in the same hardships, unending sufferings, deprivation of basic facilities, frequent displacement, and forced migration. Severe poverty remains the root cause of hunger, misery, and destitution, pushing poor peasants and laborers of Thar to the brink of suicide. Every year, incidents of suicide among the working poor are increasing.
In the last year 2025 alone, 129 peasants and laborers in Tharparkar district ended their lives, raising serious questions about the dream of prosperity following billions of rupees in investment and development under the Thar coal projects, and pointing fingers at the government’s poor governance. The issue is not limited to suicides alone. The tragic reality is that since 2014, when the media highlighted on these very pages the increasing deaths of malnourished children of poor peasants in Thar, the situation has worsened year after year. The number of deaths of innocent children from poor laboring families continues to rise. In Civil Hospital Mithi alone, the number of child deaths was 336 in 2014, which has now doubled to 669 in 2025. Moreover, the people of Thar have not forgotten that two years ago, on 8 February 2024, during the general election campaign in Chhachhro, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari declared in a public rally that Karoonjhar Hill a tourist, cultural, and civilizational landmark of Sindh, a national historical heritage, and the lifeline of the people of Thar. He said its auction would never be accepted, accusing the PML-N leadership and rulers of selling those beautiful hills and promised that the PPP would not allow the dream of Karoonjhar’s destruction to come true. Today, however, the people of Thar want to ask: was that merely a fake promise, a lollipop, a tactic to muster the support of voters for his party candidates contesting polls from the desert district.
Because after the historic verdict of the Sindh High Court against the cutting of Karoonjhar, the caretaker government of Sindh filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Recently, the Sindh government has transferred this appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court. As a result, residents of Nagarparkar have been protesting for the past 49 days, staging a hunger strike camp outside the press club, demanding the withdrawal of the appeal against the Sindh High Court’s decision. Despite strong protests by lawyers of Thar and across Sindh, the Sindh government has not withdrawn its constitutional petition. Furthermore, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, during the inauguration of the Thar coal power plant seven years ago, had acknowledged the absence of a mechanism to supply electricity from Thar coal to local residents and announced that electricity would be provided free of cost to households in Islamkot taluka, with the Sindh government paying their bills. However, instead of fully implementing this promise, the government now pays only Rs 800 per bill, not even covering 100 units of electricity. Despite the fact that approximately Rs 32 billion in royalty from Thar coal has already been received by the Sindh government, no practical steps have been taken to spend this amount on Thar’s development as promised. Interestingly, after an election rally in Mithi, during a press conference at Bilawal House the next day, on my question regarding the royalty issue, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari even questioned Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. Murad Ali Shah admitted that the royalty amount had been received by the Sindh government but claimed that due to certain technical issues, it could not be transferred to Thar and would be released soon after the elections. Therefore, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the need of the hour is not only to spend the Thar coal royalty on Thar’s development but also to pass the required legislation by approving the proposed draft of the Thar Development Authority—which, after being referred to a parliamentary committee of the Sindh Assembly, has been buried under the heaps of files—so that this massive amount of royalty can be properly planned and utilized for Thar’s development, alleviating the sufferings of its people. Even today, the situation of Thar is like the proverb of darkness beneath the lamp: electricity from Thar has reached the national grid, benefiting the entire country, but most areas of the desert region of Thar itself remain in darkness.
Even in this modern era, 80 percent of villages in Thar lack electricity, roads, safe drinking water, and other basic necessities of life. The people of Thar hope that notice will be taken of the issues of dumper drivers in both coal blocks, who are protesting for better food facilities and resolution of their problems; that workers dismissed from Block-I for demanding their rights will be reinstated; that those affected by the ongoing construction of the railway line to Thar coal will be promptly compensated for their land; and that the problems of villagers affected by Thar Coal Block-I will be addressed seriously. Only through such practical steps can the dream of prosperity for the poor people of Thar be realized.