THIS refers to the letters ‘Bahawalpur tragedy’ (July 1). It is absurd to blame the victims for the tragedy. The people of the area are poor and illiterate and look for small gains at great peril. Rulers who have kept them backward and economically deprived are responsible for the loss of precious lives.

Is it not the right of every citizen to ask for access to education, healthcare, equal opportunities and orderly development? This right is enshrined in the constitution. Deploying all resources of the province on the metro bus, metro train and motorway projects to suit a small segment of the population does not satisfy the masses.

The Bahawalpur tragedy epitomises the downside of the development model of the PML-N government. It is time the government learnt a lesson and treated all areas fairly with an equitable distribution of resources.

Arshad M. Khawaja

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2017