Even nine years after becoming a settled district from a tribal area, Torghar has yet to see the development promised by the government’s initiative.

Located between Hazara and Malakand divisions amid high mountains and along the Indus, Torghar, which was called Kala Dhaka before getting the district status in early 2011, lacks basic facilities from healthcare to education to infrastructure to the misery of residents.

According to Zahid Khan, members of most of the five local tribes beat drums and danced the day (Jan 27, 2011) the then president, Asif Ali Zardari, formally declared the tribal region the 25th district of the province on the advice of the then chief minister, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti of the ANP.

“Unfortunately, the lack of development in the days ahead shattered our dream of a bright future,” the resident told Dawn.

As the government unveiled its plans to mainstream Kala Dhaka by declaring it a settled district, the militants, who used the tribal area to cross from neighbouring Malakand division into Hazara division, tried in vain to push the residents into offering resistance.

Torghar, which shares border with Mansehra, Haripur, Shangla, Swabi, Buner and Battagram districts, has scattered settlements with the people living in mud houses built mostly on mountains. It is a highly conservative society, where rights-limiting traditional practices prevail. The incidence of killing both men and women in the name of honour is very high.

As the official revenue records don’t exist, five tribes, including Bassikhel, Nusratkhel, Akazai, Hassanzai and Madakhel, lay claim to a major portion of land.

An official of the district administration insists that the tribal status of the area was changed to check the infiltration of militants from the neighbouring Swat and Malakand area to Hazara division through it.

He told Dawn that the militants attacked international nongovernmental organisations in Mansehra district killing their staff members, including women before returning safely, so the government in order to establish its writ made the area (Kala Dhaka) used by attackers to reach targets a settled district.

The official said though the area status changing move by the government came without infrastructure development, the local population totalling around 170,000 welcomed it for peace and better future.

He, however, said the people’s hopes were dashed due the government’s disinterest in providing them with basic facilities and developing infrastructure.

The residents also complained that the district hadn’t seen tangible development on ground in the last nine years.

They said the government made the federally and provincially administered tribal areas the settled districts lately as part of their mainstreaming plans and even announced mega development programmes for them but ignored Torghar, which got the same status long ago.

Zahid Khan said the people supported the change of administrative status for the area despite being threatened by militants but they continued to be without facilities.

He regretted that the entire Judbah tehsil didn’t have a single middle school for girls.

Rabnawaz Khan resented a lack of health facilities in the district.

He said Torghar had only 10 basic health units, so the people moved hospitals in the neighbouring districts of Hazara division.

“We have neither district and tehsil hospitals nor any rural health centre,” he said adding that many patients die on the way to hospitals in the neighbouring district.

The resident said the lack of healthcare affected pregnant women the most and that Torghar had higher mother and infant mortality rate compared with neighbouring districts.

He also said work on the district headquarters hospital began last year but the shortage of funds brought it to a halt.

The resident complained that the district, which consisted of Judbah and Kunder Hassanzai tehsils, didn’t have proper educational infrastructure, so the girls didn’t get education beyond primary level.

A document of the education department revealed that the district had 174 schools for boys and 68 for girls and most of them offered education up to primary standard, while there’s no high and higher secondary school for girls. Torghar has three high and two higher secondary schools for boys.

Resident Zahid Khan wondered how the people of Torghar could progress if they’d no access to formal education.

The other residents complained that the district didn’t have proper infrastructure, while the existing fewer roads were in bad shape forcing people to use ferries.

Former district nazim Dilroz Khan said he didn’t claim much about development but one could see a clear change in the people’s attitude since Torghar became a settled district.

He said the residents had stopped migrating to Karachi for employment and that more and more were enrolling children, especially girls, in schools.

“Though the district needs public sector educational institutions, it didn’t have a single high and higher secondary school before becoming a district. Currently, three high and two high secondary schools are there to educate locals,” he said.

The former nazim said the district’s first girls high school was set to start classes in Darbani area.

“We had signed a memorandum of understanding with Unicef to upgrade the existing 25 girls primary schools. I’m optimistic that this upgradation will happen this year,” he said.

Mr Dilroz Khan regretted the nonexistence of colleges in the district and asked the government to fulfil its responsibility regarding the cause of education.

He said the government had sanctioned funds for the dualisation of the road from district headquarters Judbah to Thakot and once the road was in place, the residents would be able to travel across the country through Hazara Expressway.

“I think that we’ll soon see a real change in our lives,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2020