Tharparkar (Dhatki/; , ), is a district in the Thar Region of the Sindh province in Pakistan, headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar (1901–1947) or Eastern Sindh Frontier District (1860–1901).
The district is the largest in Sindh, and has the largest Hindu population in Pakistan. It has the lowest Human Development Index rating of all the districts in Sindh. Currently the Sindh government is planning to divide the Tharparkar district into Tharparkar and Chhachro district.
History The name Tharparkar originates from a portmanteau of the words Thar (referring to the Thar Desert), and parkar (meaning "to cross over"). The Thar region was historically fertile, although it was mostly desertified between 2000 BCE and 1500 BCE. Before its desertification, a tributary of the Indus River was said to flow through the region; it is speculated by some historians that this river could be the ancient Sarasvati River mentioned in the Hindu Rigveda. The Thar region is also mentioned in the Ramayana, where it is called "Lavanasagara" (meaning "salt ocean").
Sindh was ruled by various dynasties after the fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation. These dynasties included the Soomras, the Sammas, the Arghuns, the Kalhoras, and the Talpurs. These rulers primarily focused on the central and western parts of Sindh, while the eastern areas, including Tharparkar, were largely neglected. In 1843, as a part of the British conquest of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, Charles James Napier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Presidency Armies, defeated the Talpur dynasty and conquered Sindh. The conquered areas, including Tharparkar, were incorporated into the Cutch Agency and Hyderabad Collectorate. The government of British India divided Sindh into Collectorates, or districts, administered by British-appointed Zamindars.
Sindh was later made part of the Bombay Presidency of British India. In 1858, the entire area around Tharparkar became part of the Hyderabad District, and in 1860 the region was established as a subdivision of Hyderabad district and renamed as Eastern Sindh Frontier, with its headquarters at Amarkot. In 1882, Eastern Sindh Frontier subdivision bifurcated from Hyderabad District and established a separate district headed by a British Deputy Commissioner, with a political superintendent at Amarkot.David Ross C.I.E., The land of the five rivers and Sindh (1883), p. 33: "Still further towards the desert is Amarkot, chief town of the Thar and Parkar district, and headquarters of the political superintendent." In 1906, it was reorganized as the Thar and Parkar district and the district headquarters was moved from Amarkot to Mirpur Khas.
Prior to the partition of India, there was a very strong cultural and trading connection between Tharparkar, Gujarat and Rajasthan, which continued for some years after partition, before the border became sealed.
Large parts of Tharparkar were captured by Indian forces during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 in the Chachro Raid. They were returned to Pakistan only after signing of the Shimla Pact in 1972.
On 31 October 1990, the district was divided into the Tharparkar and Mirpur Khas Districts. On 17 April 1993, Umerkot District was carved out of Tharparkar.
Geography Tharparkar district lies between 69° 3′ 35″ E and 71° 7′ 47″ E longitudes, and between 24° 9′ 35″ N and 25° 43′ 6″ N latitudes. To its east, the district borders the Jaisalmer, Barmer and Jalore districts of Rajasthan in India. To the south, it borders the Kutch district of Gujarat in India. Umerkot district lies to its north while Badin and Mirpur Khas districts are to its west.
Climate and environment
The district has a tropical semi arid (Köppen: BSh) climate. During summer, it is extremely hot during the day, while nights are much cooler. April, May and June are the hottest months and December, January and February are the coldest months. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures during winter are 28 °C and 9 °C, respectively. There are wide fluctuations in annual rainfall and the yearly average in some areas is as low as 100 mm. Most precipitation occurs between July and September, during the south-west monsoon.
+Annual rainfall by taluka (mm)(Abbreviations DU = Data unavailable, TNC = Taluka not created)YearMithiIslamkotDiploKaloiChachroDahliNagarparkar2014180167233972432015422362512363126588201620172613373791511211233242018158124151110110120140 Since 1997 the highest recorded annual rainfall was 1306 mm in 2011. Tharparkar has been suffering a drought for several decades and the provincial government has declared Tharparkar as a drought-affected area. Tharparkar was officially declared as in a drought in 1968, 1978, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
Flora
There are at least 89 plant species of 26 plant families native to Tharparkar. Many species of herbs grow during the wet season while desert shrubs and drought resistant trees grow year-round.
Fauna
Wealth of fauna is considered as a salient feature of this region.The fauna of Tharparkar is a major part of its culture, folk music, art etc.
Sanctuaries
Chinkara wildlife sanctuary The Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary covers 940 km2 in Tharparkar where the hunting of wildlife and poaching is prohibited. The prohibition extends from Chelhar in the north, to Bhorelo in the southeast, and to Mithi and Wajatto in the west.
Vulture and migratory birds sanctuary
Tharparkar has been designated a major sanctuary for endangered species of vulture, while Gorano has been declared a habitat for several migratory birds.
Peafowl conservation efforts in the district focus on preventing the further endangerment and death of animals that are significant as symbols of Tharparkar. In addition, illegal exploitation of scorpions and snakes has been reported in the area.
Livelihood Tharparkar district is predominantly rural, with 96% of the population residing outside of urban areas. The primary economic activity of the district is agriculture, while the much smaller urban population carries out activities related to agriculture. While the main food source and economic base of Tharparkar comes from livestock management, farming and artisanry are also important factors.
Farming Despite the arid climate and generally poor conditions for growing crops, the majority of the Thari people are employed by some form of farming. Most of the area relies on scant rainfall to irrigate farmland, however, in some areas of Nagarparkar taluka, tube wells are used. 1,014,000 (50.4%) of the district's 2,011,000 hectares of land are cultivated.
Livestock 94% of the district's households own some form of livestock, while 77.64% of the population is actively engaged in livestock management. The average household owns 8 animals, and an estimated 7.7 million animals make up the total livestock population of the district. Sheep are especially important to the district's livestock economy, with 3 million kg of wool produced annually. Tharparkar holds 40% of Sindh's sheep population, and is considered the most suitable area for sheep in the province. 70.3% of farms use animals as a source of power for plowing land. The percentage of donkeys in the livestock population is notably high, especially for an arid region, with the percentage in Tharparkar being higher than other areas in Pakistan. Despite the size and economic importance of the livestock population, only 12 veterinarians serve the district.
+Tharparkar livestock populations and notable breeds (2006)LivestockPopulationBreedsCattle752,265Tharparkar, KankrejBuffalo46,328KundhiSheep1,185,122Kooka, Magra, Sonadi, Kachhi, MarwariGoat2,217,876Tharki, Kamori, ChapparCamel135,356DhattiHorse8,519BaluchiMule1,475Donkey246,657GhudkhurDomestic Poultry263,431Total4,857,029
Handicrafts Art and artisanry have been part of Thari society since the Indus Valley civilisation. Common handicrafts include ralli, pottery, puppet-making, carpet-making, traditional decoration, block printing, cobbling, and embroidery, among others. In Chachro taluka alone there are 6,000 handlooms, despite the lack of a centralized facility. The sale of these products supplement local incomes, and provide economic opportunities, especially for women.
Politics Between 2002 and 2018, the district was represented in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh by constituencies 60, 61, 62, and 63. The 2008 elections saw three of those constituencies represented by members of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PMLQ), and one by a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). During the 2013 elections, three candidates from the PPP and one from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) won.
Before 2018, Tharparkar was represented in the National Assembly by constituencies 229 and 230. During the 2008 elections, both were won by candidates of the PMLQ, while in the 2013 elections, they were both won by candidates of the PPP.
After a new delimitation of constituencies in 2018, the district is represented in the Provincial Assembly by constituencies 54, 55, 56, and 57, while in the National Assembly, it is represented by constituencies 221 and 222. In the 2018 elections, both national constituencies and three of the four provincial constituencies were won by the PPP, while one provincial seat was won by the Grand Democratic Alliance.
Industry and infrastructure
Industry
Coal Pakistan's estimated 185.175 billion tonnes of lignite coal reserves are the 7th largest in the world. Tharparkar district alone is estimated to hold 175.506 billion tonnes (95%) of the national reserves, the energy contents of which would surpass the combined energy of the resource reserves of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
In Pakistan, companies generating power are completely exempted from the payment of income tax, as well as turnover tax. Additionally, imports from prospective sponsors of coal power generation projects are exempted from tariffs. This is done in order to encourage investment in the country's energy sector. Such investments have included a 600 MW producing project implemented by the Chinese Shenhua Group, and the 1200 MW producing Thar Engro Coal Power Project.
In Pakistan, mineral mining operations are subject to provincial administration. However, in 2011, to encourage large-scale investment in coal mining, the federal government authorized the creation of the "Thar Coal & Energy Board" (TCEB), a statutory corporation that would directly administer the extraction and use of Tharparkar's large energy resources.
In March 2019, new members were appointed to the TCEB including female Member of National Assembly (MNA) Shazia Marri (NA-216). However, the TCEB's charter requires that there should be one female MNA from either Tharparkar, Umerkot or Mirpur Khas districts on the board. An exception was made, as MNA Mahesh Malani and Senator Krishna Kohli were from and represented the Thar region, despite neither directly fitting the "female MNA from Thar" requirement.
The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company in Tharparkar supplies electricity to the national grid. Despite this, the large majority of the 2,300 registered and almost 2,000 unregistered Thari villages have no electricity supply. Energy shortages and blackouts are common, and one outage during a heat wave lasting 22 hours resulted in the deaths of several hospital patients. An informal announcement made by the Sindh government declared that electricity would be freely provided to Tharparkar, however this has not happened, and electricity continues to be supplied by private companies such as Hyderabad Electric Supply Company.