EARLY MARRIAGES: This refers to the letter ‘The unfortunate trend of child marriages is rampant across the Thar region’ (Nov 13). Any sane person will fully agree with the views expressed in the letter. To add to the debate, I would like to stress international regulations and conventions of the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation that prohibit this practice under ‘forced labour’ laws. All the signatory nations are bound to follow them. Moreover, a wide-scale media awareness campaign should be initiated in this regard.

Khawaja Tajammul Hussain
Karachi

UNINTERRUPTED AGONY: Unfortuantely, the masses remain deprived of essential facilities when they need them the most. For instance, during summers, there is extreme eletricity loadshedding, and during winters, there is gas shortage that leaves all heating arrangements redundant. The cycle of agony has been going on uninterrupted for decades. I wonder if there is any point saying so, but there is nothing else the masses can do but to remind the government of its basic duty to facilitate lives.

Abdul Sattar
Kolwah

NO SCHOOL: Awaran has long been surviving without basic facilities. Life, as many would agree, is not merely about putting two meals on the proverbial table just as health is not merely the absence of disease. Education is critical to social growth, and that in a way explains why Awaran is part of backward Pakistan, and not of progressive Pakistan. Mazarabad in Awaran has 200 families with one government school plagued by ‘ghost’ teachers.

Balach
Awaran

WATER WOES: Wana in South Waziristan has been in the grip of multiple issues ranging from militancy to lack of basic amenities. A recent addition to the woes is the fast-depleting groundwater. Tube wells seem to have sucked up the entire groundwater, leaving the local life severely affected. The government should immediately take notice of the extreme water shortage in Wana.

Siraj Wazir
Wana

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2022