Residents of Kahan tehsil in Balochistan’s Kohlu district have said more than 50 government schools remain closed in the area, weeks after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti claimed that no schools were non-functional under the current government.
Local residents said the closure of schools had deprived a large number of children of education, while the tehsil continued to face shortages of healthcare, roads, clean drinking water, mobile network coverage and other basic services.
They said Kahan, which has an estimated population of around 250,000, remained deprived of many basic public facilities available elsewhere in Balochistan.
Speaking to local journalists, residents said healthcare facilities in the area were inadequate, while poor road infrastructure often delayed the transport of patients to hospitals.
They said the absence of mobile network coverage had further added to communication difficulties, particularly during medical emergencies and other urgent situations.
Local resident Abdul Ali Marri told journalist Nazar Marri that the non-functional institutions included several primary, middle and high schools across Kahan tehsil.
Residents said the lack of schools and basic public services had affected daily life and forced some families to move to other areas in search of education, healthcare and better facilities.
They called on the Balochistan government and relevant authorities to prioritise Kahan in development planning, reopen closed schools, improve healthcare services, repair roads, provide clean drinking water and expand mobile network coverage.
Their claims come after Bugti said during a press conference on 23 May that more than 700,000 children had been enrolled in schools across Balochistan over the past two years.
Bugti also said more than 3,000 previously non-functional schools had been made operational and maintained that no schools remained closed under the current government.
Residents’ claims regarding the continued closure of dozens of schools in Kahan appear to contrast with the Balochistan government’s account of progress in the education sector.
Authorities have not issued an immediate public response to the specific claims regarding closed schools and lack of basic services in Kahan.