IN an age when people in the country talk about digitalisation, 5G and online economy, there are more than 13 villages in Miro Khan taluka of Qambar Shahdadkot that have not seen an electric bulb for 13 years. There are about 400 houses and 3,000 people living without electricity. I am a primary school teacher. Every evening, I see my students trying to study under the dim light of oil lamps. Their eyesight is weakening. Their dreams are dimming. They cannot use a computer. They cannot charge a torch without walking to Miro Khan city. In 2026, this is not just poverty; this is exclusion.

At night, our streets fall into complete darkness. Women and children feel unsafe. Families spend thousands of rupees monthly on diesel, batteries and candles, more than what an honest electricity bill would cost. Yet, they are willing to pay. All these 400 houses are ready to take that many legal electricity meters and become regular, bill-paying consumers. They are waiting for the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) to take the initiative.

The tragedy is that a solution is just one kilometre away. The 11KV feeder passes within a kilometre of our villages. All that is needed is a small extension, a few poles, and these villages would finally step into the 21st century.

If electricity comes, everything would change. Children would study at night. Youth would learn online freelancing and start earning at home instead of having to migrate to Karachi and Hyderabad. Small businesses, such as sewing, welding and flour mills, would start. Farmers would be able to use electric tubewells. Unemployment would also go down. Electricity supply is not charity. It is the due right of citizens.

Saleemullah Kalhoro
Miro Khan

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2026