AWAY from the chaotic life of an urban centre, Dureji, a tehsil located in the newly-created district of Hub in Balochistan, is a modern town, developed, it seems, as per some master plan. It has nice infrastructure as well as natural conservation. Dureji is a three-hour drive from Karachi and the town — called by the residents of Hub and Bela as the ‘little Paris’ — has picturesque sights aplenty.

What makes the town more attractive is the stringent policies that bar anyone wanting to hunt down rare species of animals, such as Balochistan’s well-known mountain goats known as Turkam wild goats that live in the mountains of southwestern range of Kirthar.

Interestingly, because of the hunting ban, there has been a steep increase in the number of these species, including many others, rising their number from 2,000 to 20,000 currently. This includes the overall number of Turkam goats since the southern range of the Kirthar mountains lies in Sindh where they are called Sindhi ibex.

The tehsil is home to sitting federal and provincial legislators, and they have been looking after all the affairs of the area, including basic amenities, making sure that residents have all the facilities available. The area has a library, a functional hospital and schools for children.

Many people, including politicians, oppose the development work that has been carried out in Dureji, claiming that the two legislators are merely developing their hometown while shrugging their shoulders when it comes to the development of Hub, a densely populated city.

The criticism might have some merit, but the politicians who have been expressing negativity towards Dureji’s development, calling it a narrow policy of ‘develop-your-home-first’, should ask themselves the very legiti- mate question: why are their home-towns, the constituencies, not developed?

Syeda Zainab Fatima
Layyah

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2023