MITHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has emphasised the need for providing basic rights to the residents of Thar.

He was addressing lawyers during a luncheon hosted in his honour by the Tharparkar Bar Association on Saturday.

The CJP said Thar had a great potential for religious tourism and urged the authorities concerned to make concerted efforts to promote religious tourism in the area.

Justice Ahmed asked the people of Tharparkar district to file petitions in the apex court and other legal forums for resolution of their core problems and issues.

He said he was glad to have visited Thar and got the opportunity to meet the hospitable Thari people.

Says the region has great potential for religious tourism

The CJP said that people of Thar, if given opportunities, could earn enough by selling their traditional handicrafts in international markets, adding that he had observed their talent and skills. “The Thari products have high value in the international markets,” he said and advised the rulers to provide the required facilities to the Thari people so that they got the best of their skills and talents. He said Thar had great tourist spots which needed to be provided with modern facilities so that people from Pakistan and beyond could visit and see the natural beauty of the green desert during the monsoon season.

Justice Gulzar said the Tharis had basic right on their resources and land and directed the authorities concerned to provide basic amenities of life to the inhabitants of the district.

He said that he had extensively travelled across the country and always found people of Sindh very nice and simple with high values and rich culture. He wished that the people of Thar would get their basic rights, adding there was no reason to deny them their legitimate rights.

The CJP said he had special attachment with Thar and its residents and recalled that he had first come to the desert with relief items way back in 2000 when Thar was facing the worst type of drought.

“There is also a need to connect Thar to other parts of Pakistan through rail link by laying a railway line from Mirpurkhas so that the Thari people could easily travel to other parts of the country and sell their traditional goods and crops,” he said.

Earlier, Wasand Thari, the president of the Tharparkar Bar Associa­tion, tha­nked Justice Gulzar for visiting Thar and presented a charter of demands containing the issues of the district.

However, the CJP did not mention any of the points raised in the charter of demands and said the deputy commissioner had briefed him on the issues of the district.

Later, Justice Ahmed went to Islam­kot to visit Thar Coal Fields where he was briefed by the officials of the coalfields about different projects.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2022