Nine Initiatives.
One Movement.
From mass climate marches to legal advising, from school programmes to provincial assembly submissions — TCF's initiatives span every lever of change available to a citizen-led movement.
Thar Climate March 2025
A 6-day, multi-town march spanning 12 towns across Tharparkar — from Kaloi town (24 November) through Sajai, Diplo, Islamkot, Nagarparkar, Chhachhro and more — concluding at Mithi. Thousands of villagers, women, youth leaders, and civil society members participated.
The march concluded with the formal presentation of a 14-Point Charter for Environmental Justice to district and provincial authorities — covering clean energy governance, water rights, land justice, Karoonjhar protection, local hiring, and dignified livelihoods. The event was TCF's largest-ever public mobilisation and received national media coverage.
Open Kachehri (Town Hall Meetings)
TCF organises regular Open Kachehri sessions — structured town halls bringing community members face-to-face with government officials, Ombudsman representatives, and civil society partners. These sessions are not passive forums: they create formal records of grievances that are used for provincial-level advocacy.
Residents document land disputes, water access failures, coal expansion impacts, and service delivery breakdowns. Every Kachehri produces a written record submitted to relevant authorities. This accountability mechanism is one of TCF's most consistent tools for institutional engagement.
Climate Education Initiative
Reaching students and teachers across schools throughout Tharparkar's 7 talukas, this programme trains children and educators on their rights, Thar's cultural heritage, and the environmental and social impacts of industrial expansion in the region.
Aligned with TCF's Strategic Advocacy Plan's focus on building a Citizens' Voice in Public Decision-Making, the Climate Education Initiative creates informed youth advocates who understand the connection between Tharparkar's coal industry, land rights, water scarcity, and their own futures. Schools receive environmental literacy resources, rights-based learning materials, and connections to TCF's Youth Forum network.
Charter of Demands (COD)
Developed through extensive community consultation spanning civil society organisations, lawyers, journalists, youth representatives, and women's networks across all 7 talukas of Tharparkar — the Charter of Demands is TCF's flagship policy advocacy document.
The COD was formally submitted to the Sindh Provincial Assembly. It covers 14 areas: land survey and rights security, Karoonjhar mountain protection, environmental impact assessment mandates, Resettlement & Rehabilitation policy, coal royalty accountability, local employment quotas, healthcare access for affected communities, water security, and more. TCF continues to monitor the government's response through follow-up advocacy.
National Exposure Visits
TCF facilitates structured visits to Tharparkar for students, academics, journalists, and community leaders from across Pakistan. Participants witness the coal mining impact zones, displaced communities, water-stressed villages, and Karoonjhar's landscape firsthand — replacing abstract statistics with lived understanding.
Completed visits include cohorts from Lahore University and community leaders from Multan. These participants return to their cities as informed, committed national advocates for Thar's cause. The programme is a direct implementation of TCF's SAP strategy on National and International Engagement — building allies beyond Tharparkar who can influence policy from the centre.
Strategic Advocacy Plan (SAP)
Launched in August 2023, TCF's Strategic Advocacy Plan — authored by Dr. Ameer Ali Abro — provides a structured framework for advancing Tharparkar's rights agenda across 8 advocacy streams.
The 8 SAP strategies are: Media Advocacy (amplifying community voices in press), Legislative Engagement (targeting MNAs, MPAs, and senators), Public Mobilisation (awareness campaigns and marches), Stakeholder Dialogue (engaging CSOs and academia), Legal Support (petitions, court cases, SHC hearings), Technocrat Engagement (policy briefs for decision-makers), National & International Outreach (exposure visits, international platform engagement).
The SAP was developed following extensive field consultation across Tharparkar's communities and addresses 6 core challenge areas: environmental degradation, land rights, water scarcity, education access, healthcare deficits, and coal mining impacts.
Karoonjhar Mountain Protection Campaign
Karoonjhar — Thar's only mountain range, sacred to Hindus and the ecological heart of Nagarparkar — was under existential threat from quarrying leases. TCF's Lawyers Forum mounted a sustained advocacy campaign, including submissions to the Sindh High Court.
The campaign achieved two major victories: the SHC declared Karoonjhar a Protected Heritage Site in September 2024, and the Sindh Government cancelled a 21,000-acre quarrying lease following advocacy pressure. This represents TCF's most significant environmental campaign victory to date.
The campaign demonstrates TCF's SAP strategy of Legal Support in action — engaging courts and oversight bodies as part of broader advocacy to uphold environmental protections for Tharparkar's communities.
Friends of Thar Network
The Friends of Thar Network is TCF's growing national volunteer corps — professionals, students, activists, journalists, and concerned citizens from across Pakistan who stand with Tharparkar's communities as outside advocates.
Friends of Thar amplify TCF's message in their own cities and institutions, support fundraising and awareness campaigns, and serve as a human bridge connecting Pakistan's urban centres to the realities of Tharparkar. Anyone who envisions a prosperous and sustainable Thar — regardless of background or location — can become a Friend. The network is a direct expression of TCF's National & International Engagement strategy.
Legal Advising
TCF's Lawyers Forum supports Tharparkar's communities through legal guidance, rights education, and advocacy — helping people understand their options when facing land disputes, displacement, and environmental harm. Beyond the Karoonjhar campaign, TCF's legal volunteers have provided advisory support on land rights, water access, and the need for Environmental & Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) ahead of further coal expansion.
TCF continues to advocate for an independent ESIA before any new mining expansion, accountability for the 350+ lightning deaths recorded near mining zones, and fair treatment for families displaced by the Thar Railway Corridor. Legal advising and rights education is one of the eight core strategies in TCF's Strategic Advocacy Plan.
Lawyers Forum
Legal advising for Tharparkar's communities
14-Point Charter for Environmental Justice
Presented to authorities at the conclusion of the 6-day Thar Climate March — a concrete, community-authored mandate for change.
Join TCF's Initiatives
There's a role for every skill — lawyer, journalist, student, teacher, or concerned citizen. TCF needs advocates who will stand with Tharparkar's 1.6 million people.