ISLAMKOT: Residents of Verwai village, located in the Thar Coal Block-1 area, have raised serious allegations against the companies operating in the region—Sino Sindh Resources Limited (SSRL) and Shanghai Electric.
The villagers accuse the companies of large-scale environmental destruction, land encroachment, broken promises, and harassment with the support of law enforcement.
According to locals, the companies have cut down thousands of century-old trees across hundreds of acres of green grazing land to carry out experimental plantations of Chinese grass, allegedly in the name of environmental sustainability. The affected community claims that valuable grazing land, essential for their livestock during the monsoon season, has been fenced off and taken over without adequate consultation or compensation.
“They’ve turned our lives into a nightmare,” said Ameer Hasan Rahmon, a local resident. “Instead of fulfilling their commitments to rehabilitate us, they are conducting experiments daily. We’ve lost our homes, our graveyards, and now even the trees that have stood here for generations.”
Residents report that despite signed agreements to protect graveyards and provide basic facilities, none of the commitments have been honored. Several Rahmon community families are still waiting for compensation for lands that now fall inside the coal project’s boundaries. The village itself has been fenced in, with a single gate controlled by the company, leading locals to feel like prisoners in their own land.
Villagers further alleged that company officials, including SSRL Deputy CEO Abdul Qayoom Chaudhry, retired Brigadier Farrukh Naseem, and Area Manager Amanullah Junejo, have used police support to suppress protests, often threatening residents with terrorism charges to silence dissent.
“We speak for our rights, and we are labeled terrorists,” said protester Zakaullah Rahmon. “Is this the price we pay for giving up our land for so-called national development?”
The people of Verwai staged a protest outside the Islamkot Press Club, demanding immediate intervention by the government and an end to what they call systematic exploitation under the guise of development. They questioned the companies’ use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, alleging that millions have been spent on private experiments like Chinese grass cultivation, while nothing has been invested in local health, education, or infrastructure.
Officials from SSRL, when contacted, confirmed that an 80-acre Chinese grass plantation experiment is underway and claimed that if successful, seeds would be distributed among villagers for their benefit. However, villagers see this as another hollow promise.
Meanwhile, Mukhtiarkar Islamkot Anwar Hangorjo stated that partial compensation has been paid and that the rest will be disbursed soon. But locals remain skeptical, citing a long history of delays, deception, and unmet obligations.
As disputes over land, environment, and broken promises intensify, the villagers of Thar continue to demand justice, transparency, and meaningful rehabilitation—urging authorities to intervene before the situation spirals further.
