In Khar, the capital of Bajaur Agency, Pakistan, more than 50,000 people have been without water or electricity since mid-July, 2009, because their national government has stopped delivery of these basic services. We, the undersigned, respectfully call on the government of Pakistan to resume its delivery of water and electricity to Khar immediately.

Khar is not an isolated village where people can rely on well water; it is a developed municipality whose population growth was supported by government delivery of water and electricity. Without water, the people of Khar have been unable to bathe or launder clothing, dramatically increasing risk of disease. Mothers cannot wash their children. There is not enough water even to drink, and people are suffering from thirst. Without water, people will die%u2014which is why access to potable water is widely recognized as a basic human right. By stopping the provision of municipal water, the government of Pakistan is killing its own citizens.

We acknowledge the fear of terrorism in Khar and the surrounding areas, and support productive efforts to end this violence. However, no rationale related to defeating terrorism can justify the withholding of water from an entire population. Without water, those who suffer most will be the least powerful: the women and young children, the aged, and the infirm. Without water, these are the people who will die first.

The restoration of electrical power is equally critical. Many people in Khar rely on electricity to cook their food or power essential services in their homes. Many more rely on electricity to conduct their legitimate businesses and earn their livings, even under the current stress of war. Without electricity, more people will go hungry. Without electricity the business and social infrastructure of Khar will collapse, making future economic recovery much more difficult.

One of the most basic functions of any government is to provide for the common good of the people it governs. In Khar, as in most of the world, people depend on government provision of water and electrical power. We recognize that the government has a legitimate need to eliminate terrorism and restore order to its citizenry, and respectfully insist that this need is best served by restoring water and electricity to the people of Khar. 

Thank you for addressing this critical need immediately.