KHAR: Society for Protection of Rights of the Child (Sparc) has expressed concern over the ‘high’ incidence of child labour in the tribal areas, and asked the government to curb the menace with immediate effect.

The demand was made at a meeting here on Saturday with its agency coordinator Hanifullah Jan in the chair, according to a press release issued here.

The participants of the meeting asked the government to take concrete steps for ensuring basic facilities to the poor children in the tribal areas.

They pointed out that thousands of children in the tribal area had been out of school owing to poor financial condition of their families.

They said majority of children who engaged in child labour were the only source of livelihood of their families, thus forcing them to quit education.

They urged the government to also ensure monthly stipend to those children who were the sole bread earners of their families. They also demanded setting up of vocational and technical training centres for such children to impart skills to them to so they could earn a living with honour.

LOADSHEDDING: The rural parts of Bajaur Agency have been facing suspension of electricity for last over two months, residents complained.

Talking to Dawn, they said most rural areas of the agency had been without electricity for two months.

They deplored that officials of the Tesco were tight lipped over the issue.

They stated that the prolonged absence of electricity had increased their misery, forcing them to fetch water from distant localities in cold weather as tube-wells were lying non-functional.

They requested the Tesco officials to restore electricity supply to the affected areas without delay.

When contacted, a Tesco official said power supply to hilly and remote parts of Bajaur, barring the Khar tehsil, was disconnected on Nov 5, last year on the directives of senior officials as part of the load management policy.

He said disconnection of electricity was necessary for ensuring smooth supply to Khar as the local 66,000KV grid station was unable to afford the burden of entire agency. However, he said arrangements were being made to restore power supply to the affected areas soon.

ARRESTED: The political administration has arrested several tribesmen in Mamond tehsil in connection with the Friday attack on a senior tribal elder, an official told Dawn on Saturday.

He said over two dozen people had been arrested in the action since Friday evening, adding the arrests were made under the collective responsibility clause of FCR for not fulfilling their duty to arrest the attackers after the blast in Larkholozo area targeted the vehicle of Malik Abdur Rouf, injuring him and Bajaur Levies personnel.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2017