Rochdale’s 30-year link with a city in Pakistan

Since Sahiwal in north-east Pakistan was twinned with Rochdale in 1989, the Sahiwal Working Party has helped develop a number of life-changing projects to alleviate poverty and aid education, from disability and dental work to IT and social housing.

As a result of their dedication and hard work, longstanding members of the working party will be presented with awards and certificates on Pakistan Day on 23 March in Rochdale’s town hall.

The most successful projects were free eye camps in Sahiwal, some 3,960 miles away from Rochdale, with UK surgeons and staff providing thousands of operations and glasses to those who could not afford treatment and offering advice.

The last camp ran in October 2014 and was co-ordinated by a Mr Haroon.

A maternity project co-ordinated by Margaret Chesney, training nurses in Sahiwal, Lahore (a major city 100 miles south of Sahiwal in the Punjab region) and Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, has brought the percentage of death rates down from 11% to just 3%.

Training courses have been delivered to the Management Committee of the Maternity Hospital, Council staff including Senior Management in the Municipal Corporation by Ghulam Rasul Shahzad OBE, a training officer for Rochdale Council and secretary of the Sahiwal Working Party.

Hydro Electric Labour Union, in Lahore, also received a training course from Mr Shahzad in conjunction with Mike Watts, Senior Safety Advisor of Rochdale Council.

Housing officers in Rochdale led a now-inactive social housing project – ROCHWAL Housing Foundation – to set up social housing in Pakistan and improve the living conditions of people living in villages and shanti towns.

A police exchange, co-ordinated by the now-retired Mohammed Munir, saw officers from Sahiwal visit Rochdale and vice versa.

In 2007, Chief Police Officer Nadeem Mir from Rochdale and Mr Shahzad visited Lahore and discussed the training of police officers in Sahiwal, a programme which is still live.

Sahiwal Working Party chairman councillor Sultan Ali, and Maqsood Ahmed, an NHS manager from Rochdale, also provided the Sahiwal Youth Development Project to equip youths with skills, knowledge and experience to be an active member of society. Currently inactive, the working party plans to revive this initiative in the future.

The Sahiwal Working Party has also helped the people of Sahiwal over the years, by sending ambulances, gully cleaners, fire engines, Phecko Eye Machines etc.

In 2018, the Mayor of Sahiwal visited Rochdale for the Mayor Making ceremony in May, with local delegates, including the Mayor, MP and Leader of the Council returning the favour later that year, visiting Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Lahore and Sahiwal with the Working Party in October.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/119336/business-ambassador-of-twin-town-in-pakistan-meets-with-rochdale-mayo

Mayor Zaman said: "Representatives from Sahiwal enjoyed their visit to Rochdale and tour of the Town Hall.

"They complimented and appreciated the support provided over the years to maintain this link, which we hope will continue to develop in the future."