President's Message

I had to find a solution to the problem of Sanitation in thousands of villages of Pakistan that was sustainable and made it possible to actually solve the entire sanitation problem of a relatively poor country like our Pakistan. I have spent 30 years in rural Pakistan---I have been extremely successful as Allah has looked after me especially and I am ever grateful to almighty Allah for his help. I have always been pained at the condition of our villages----and even more pained as I realized that this was not a big issue for Lahore and Islamabad--- they are worried enough about the Sanitation of the cities---they had no time to worry about simple remote villages---but I was a rural man and could not accept the indignity of rural life without sanitation---it is an affront to dignity if a person has to go out into the field or have to step out into his own sewerage as he stepped out into the lane.

As nobody was doing anything about it I decided to------but , as is my nature, I wanted to discover a solution that was a real solution and not a solution that would just make me feel better and not solve the real issue.

It is your good luck and mine that there existed a man like Dr. AHK who had solved the problem in a place like Karachi and created a model that was so people friendly that it could easily be transferred to a rural community like Lodhran.

Dr. AHK came to Lodhran, walked the streets at age 85 and announced that this was fertile territory for his program----then he gave me a great gift---Mr. Hafeez Arain---a selfless unique individual who had worked with the Dr. for 15 years and now shifted to Lodhran on instructions of the good Doctor.

That was the beginning---today we have come along way We have been able to make a success of it because of the people of Lodhran---we only came up with an idea and adapted it for the villages of Lodhran----but youth of Lodhran have made it successful. Today 18 villages have a complete functioning sanitation system ---the most important thing is that the entire project has been implemented by the people themselves----the people have control---that is the key and that is what I am personally most proud of. But, today is another special milestone---today we are taking the next big jump---our brothers and sisters in Japan have stepped forward and given us enough funds for 100 villages---100 my friends and all of them in Lodhran---------------my thanks to the representative of the Japanese people their Ambassador Mr. Tanaka-----but the person who suggested this and whose personal efforts made it possible is my very good friend Mr. john Wall of the World Bank---he is the one who came with me earlier saw the program and said you will have my complete support.

We will not stop here----in another year and the day we cross the 50 village mark---I will personally make sure that we are able to get new funding for more villages---and let me tell you my friends----my next target is to target 1,000 villages in the whole of Southern Punjab ---- and I will not rest until all villages of rural Pakistan are free from the curse of sewerage in the streets.

When I started this program it was not certain that it would succeed----but I was lucky very lucky---I have always been lucky in my life that I have always been able to find good, honest passionate people to work with me-----I would like to mention Khalid Warriach as the champion Hafeez Arain found in Lodhran and who has been so critical to our success here in Lodhran----and Dr. Tauqeer who has always believed in my ideas however revolutionary they may be and who has always been available whenever I have called on him.

In the end let me say that we as Politicians and Ministers and leaders have a special responsibility----it is we who have to find the solutions to the so called impossible problems of Pakistan---we really do not have the luxury of choice----we must find solutions ---we have to make sure we deliver a good education to the children of our people---we are responsible to provide them good and cheap health care----we must make sure that they have access to clean drinking water----we must make sure they have access to clean modern sanitation----and then we must make policies that provide them the jobs that will enable them to lead a productive life-------------a tall order some will say but then it is up to us the leadership to deliver and deliver we must as that is our responsibility to the people of our country. We, the LPP have at least found the solution to the sanitation problem---we will continue and keep searching for solutions for as long as Allah allows us to. May the blessings of Almighty Allah be with you.

Jehangir Khan Tareen
President
Lodhran Pilot Project