Village Chinjani of Taluka Johi is one of the oldest villages in Pakistan. It consists of more than one hundred houses with a population of 800 people. Since the creation of Pakistan, no public representative from the democratic governments we have had has proposed development schemes for the inhabitants of Chinjani.

During the Martial Law tenure enforced in 1977, with apparent development occurring across the country, neither primary schools nor Chinjani’s electricity power supply were enhanced. The villagers have always played a role in politics within local constituencies by voting for democratic political parties during election seasons. Ignorance by the elected public representatives of the constituency reveals their un-democratic attitude to the village and their people, who are entitled to a form of treatment received by the rest of the citizens in Pakistan.

As per the fundamental rights envisaged under Chapter I of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, every citizen of the homeland is entitled to equal treatment, but there seems to be widespread discrimination across the country, with the inhabitants of Chinjani being subject to it as well.

Women’s education is necessary to build a literate and prosperous society, which is why a school for girls is essential for the village to educate their women. Health is of utmost importance, but there still exists a lack of a basic health unit and/or dispensary within Chinjani. The main line of Sui Gas is at a one-kilometer distance. The villagers submitted an application to the MNA of the constituency at the inauguration ceremony conducted few years ago, but it was all in vain. Local transport is an issue, with residents of the village and those in the vicinity waiting for buses to arrive from Sehwan, Hyderabad and Karachi, often in the scorching heat due to the unavailability of a bus shed. There are no proper roads and an abundance of sand, which pollutes the air during the summer, with sandstorms occurring from April to August every year and causing breathing diseases and difficulty for the residents. In the absence of a drainage system, the wastewater is spread out onto the streets, further polluting and leading to more diseases.

I urge the National and Provincial assemblies to ask and urge selected representatives to adhere to the needs of their constituencies. Furthermore, there should be an impartial enquiry conducted into the matter regarding the basic needs of the residents of the village and methods to ensure that these needs are met.

ZAIN KHOSO,

Johi.