The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), in collaboration with the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plans to initiate a scientific study to examine the rise in lightning incidents in the Tharparkar district.
The announcement was made by SHRC Chairman Iqbal Detho at a recent community dialogue titled “Energy Transition and Community Rights in Sindh,” hosted by The Knowledge Forum (TKF) at a hotel in Karachi, according to a statement issued today.
Local residents from Tharparkar, Sanghar and Matiari districts attended the dialogue and presented plights of the communities due to exploration companies’ operations. The forum shed light on how energy mega-projects – particularly coal mining, thermal power plants, and gas fields – are disrupting lives and livelihoods across Sindh’s communities.
Community representatives at the forum pointed out that they bear the brunt of industrial energy projects, from Thar’s expanding coal operations to widespread natural gas extraction. Environmental degradation and health impacts from coal and gas operations have reached crisis levels in local communities, stakeholders revealed during the discussion.
The community leaders detailed the mounting social and environmental toll of energy extraction, as coal mines, power plants, and gas wells reshape their traditional lands. The dialogue exposed how industrial-scale coal and gas operations are fundamentally altering life in local communities, with residents reporting widespread environmental and health effects.
In his keynote address, Mr. Iqbal Detho emphasized the SHRC’s commitment to addressing community concerns and protecting local rights. SHRC is working on the implementation of the Business and Human Rights framework in the province.
‘The SHRC is conducting public hearings in various districts of Sindh to address people’s grievances. Our role is to mediate, reconcile, and resolve disputes, ensuring that the rights of local residents are respected and upheld,’ he stated. He further reassured community representatives that the SHRC would continue to take note of rights violations in Sindh’s energy sector, particularly in oil, gas, and coal exploration zones.
Mr. Detho emphasized the critical role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for large corporations involved in these projects. He shared that Sindh Human Rights Commission has already mapped five districts for public hearings on these issues, and these sessions have yielded valuable insights.
Additionally, Mr. Detho announced that SHRC will be reviewing the Land Acquisition Act to safeguard community rights amidst expanding energy projects.Looking ahead, SHRC aims to expand the scope of these hearings, focusing next on the social and cultural rights of residents in Ghotki, Sanghar, Dadu, Matiari, Tharparkar, and Badin.
Coordinator of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) for Sindh Mr. Chandan Malhi pointed out that the Commission has conducted research and held consultations in Thar for people’s rights in coal fields of Tharparkar district.
Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Mr. Qazi Khizar said that SHRC has raised its voice against coal-fired power companies’ atrocities against local communities. ‘We condemned the killing of Dodo Bheel who lost his life while working in a coal field in Tharparkar’, he added.
Dr. Riaz Shaikh, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) said that civil society and political parties should come forward to support local communities in the Tharparkar district.
Ms. Zeenia Shaukat, Director, The Knowledge Forum, elaborated on Sindh’s significance as an energy hub, supplying over 70 percent of Pakistan’s gas. She expressed concern over the lack of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from companies operating in the area, pointing out that many companies fail to invest in local development despite promises to do so.
Earlier, the community representatives emphasized the detrimental health and environmental impacts linked to resource extraction, citing the example of Matiari district, which has over 55 oil and gas wells. According to her, cancer and skin diseases are alarmingly prevalent in the region, with polluted groundwater and degraded agricultural lands worsening community health and livelihoods.
“Despite claims of development, local communities remain marginalized, with limited job opportunities and minimal benefits from corporate activities,’ they remarked, adding that officials often defer to political representatives rather than addressing these issues directly.
They also highlighted significant environmental degradation linked to coal extraction, particularly in Thar Coal Block 1 and 2, where power plant emissions have damaged agriculture and livestock and polluted groundwater. The community’s grazing lands have been encroached upon, and deep drilling by the Thar Foundation has compromised water quality, affecting the health of both people and livestock.