THATTA, Oct 13: The Sindh government’s decision to declare Sujawal the 28th district after carving it out of Thatta has kindled hopes in the residents that finally their dusty and backward town will see some semblance of development and youths will get jobs.

Some circles, however, see political agenda behind the decision and express the fear the bifurcation of the old Thatta will dent the cultural unity of lower Sindh region historically referred to as Laar.

More than two dozen members of civil society, including present and former parliamentarians and PPP leaders, interviewed by Dawn said the new district would usher in an era of progress and development in the under-developed area.

Member of PPP Sindh council Dr Altaf Khwaja, PPP district president Arbab Wazir Memon, former MPA Sadiq Ali Memon, provincial ministers Ghulam Qadir Malkani, Syed Owais Muzaffar, PPP Sindh council member Aijaz Khwaja, PPP-SB leader Younis Bhan, Dr Hotchand, Mufti Nazeer Hussain Umrani, Abdul Khalique Mallah, Hafiz Aziz, Sooraj Sujawali and others denied allegations of a political agenda behind the creation of the new district and added it would help educated jobless youth of the backward town to get jobs.

Former MPA Humaira Alwani said the new district had swung open door to prosperity and development for Sujawal residents and it would not in any way pose any threat to the common culture of Laar.

The detractors of Sujawal district, PML-N MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi and his group who are bitterly opposing the decision said the new district was aimed at denting the Shirazis’ political clout in the area. They said that they would challenge the decision in court because it was politically motivated.

Sujawal district comprising talukas of Sujawal, Kharo Chhan, Mirpur Bathoro, Jaati and Shah Bundar will now get separate budget for the development of infrastructure, construction of a new administrative block and more funds and resources at its disposal to bring prosperity to its people.

According to unofficial figures, the combined population of Thatta and Sujawal is 1.8 million out of which Sujawal’s stands at 800,000 souls.

Experts say that Thatta district will now have one National Assembly seat and three provincial assembly seats whereas Sujawal will have one NA and two PA seats.

Riaz Ahmed Wagan, chief conservator of forests, who belonged to Sujawal said that over 150,000 acres of forest land fell within Thatta and Sujawal districts.

The forest on the right bank of the river in Thatta district received due official attention because they were reachable whereas the forest in Sujawal district was often neglected only because of their remoteness from Thatta, he said.

But with the declaration of Sujawal as the new district a new divisional forest office would be established there to look after its neglected forest land, he said.

Sujawal and Thatta geographically stand apart from each other on opposite banks of the river which runs right through their middle. Sujawal got its name from its illustrious resident, Sujawal Khaskheli, who was of loyal servant of 19th century Sindh ruler Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur.

According to historian Aziz Jafrani who has compiled two books on history of Sujawal, the town has its beginnings in a small village known as Maanjar because of its wetlands.

Sujawal Khaskheli who was a fisherman of Maanjar village besides being a royal servant accurately predicted birth of a son to Mir Fateh Talpur who rewarded him with land and precious jewels and renamed Maanjar as Sujawal after the prediction was confirmed, said Jafrani.

Sujawal has produced many illustrious personalities who have rendered valuable services for society like Sarvech Sujawali, Mohammad Khan Majeedi, Maryam Majeedi, Ghulam Hussain Rangrez, Syed Akber Shah, three vice chancellors, Dr Ghulam Ali Allana, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah and Dr Rajab Memon.

Agronomists Shafeeq Shah Bukhari, Aijaz Ali Khwaja, Ahmed Khan Memon, Haji Majeed Memon and others said that Sujawal had millions of acres land which remained unattended because it fell within non-perennial irrigation division.

They hoped that after Sujawal becoming a new district the area would get perennial supply of irrigation water which would definitely lead to socio-economic uplift of people.