DOKRI town is a taluka in Larkana district and is situated at a distance of about seven kilometres from Moenjodaro. It was once called Lab-e-Darya or a lip of the Indus. It is speculated that the word ‘Dokri’ is derived from Dhaatki, a dialect spoken in Thar. Roughly translated, the word means an ‘old woman’. Unfortunately, there is no documented history of this historic town.
Not so far back, Dokri was the epicentre of a progressive movement. The Leftist movement had choose it as a base camp of their political as well as ideological activities. People who struggled for a revolution here included late Comrade Hyder Bakhsh Jatoi, the great peasant leader of Sindh. Then there was Comrade Sobho Gyanchandani, a noted intellectual; Anwer Pirzado, a stalwart of Sindhi literature and journalism; late Hidyat Mangi, a noted journalist and Hyder Joyo, a prominent labour leader and social worker belong to this taluka.
In fact, all these men helped reshape the minds of the young of the area. One of the biggest success stories to come out of this group was the Communist Party of Pakistan and Sindh Watan Dost Inqlaby Party of Dr Arbab Khuhawar. He successfully organized the workers of the local beeri industry and the peasants of the area. Due to their restless efforts, a serious challenge was for the first time mounted to the authority of the local landlords. So much so, that in the 1980s the beeri workers brought a revolution in the history of the Larkana district by electing their own chairman to the town committee of Dokri. The result was a big blow to the influential wadero of the area. However, the movement has since lost steam and the labour and peasant organizations have forgotten their orientation.
Today, the town of more than thirty thousand is in the grip of civic, educational and health problems. Despite the fact that the people of the area elected Nusrat Bhutto as their representative for the National Assembly, in four consecutive elections, the fortunes of the common folk never changed. Altaf Hussain Unnar, Nazir Ahmed Bughio, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi of Mehrabpur, Akram Khan Bughio and Sardar Ghulam Akber Khan Junejo are known as the most influential waderas of the area. Hence, the traditional parliamentary politics remains in their hands and these are the people who are elected for the Sindh Assembly on the rotation basis. These landlords are used to playing their political games either on the platform of the PPP or Muslim League, but they have paid no heed to resolve the miseries of the helpless people.
Cadet College Larkana and ZA Bhutto Agriculture College are located within Dorki. The Rice Research Institute, the biggest in the province, is located here too. But it has failed to yield any good results in the field of research due to the financial constraints. Its buildings and residential quarters are in deplorable condition. Ironically, after spending about Rs 90 million in the last eight-years the main building of ZA Bhutto Agriculture College is still incomplete. Primary and secondary schools and intermediate colleges for boys and girls respectively are also in need of immediate attention.
Roads of the town are in bad shape and the bypass has been standing incomplete for the last couple of years. Encroachers have occupied the main bazaar making both sides of the road very dangerous for pedestrians during heavy traffic. Sanitation network is in shambles and lack of proper lighting on the roads makes is risky business for people to drive at night.
The taluka hospital is also not delivering the goods. Probably that is why the town has around ten private clinics, run by doctors, employed in the hospital.
As in any part of Pakistan, the menace of drugs has plagued this town as well. Still, no concrete steps have been taken to help the young of the town prevent this hazardous threat to the lives of young generation. It has been quite some time since any new development schemes were undertaken. A lot of work needs to be done to solve the civic, social, health, education problems of the town.
DOKRI town is a taluka in Larkana district and is situated at a distance of about seven kilometres from Moenjodaro. It was once called Lab-e-Darya or a lip of the Indus. It is speculated that the word ‘Dokri’ is derived from Dhaatki, a dialect spoken in Thar. Roughly translated, the word means an ‘old woman’. Unfortunately, there is no documented history of this historic town.
