New Delhi: The Islam religion allows its followers to marry cousin sisters. Although this system of marriage is completely optional, in some towns of Pakistan, marriage is seen as a tradition in close kinship. Many health experts say that due to this practice, the cases of genetic disorders i.e. genetic disorders are on the rise. Germany's DW News has prepared a detailed report on those from Pakistan who are bound by this tradition of marriage. In this interview, people shared their personal experiences.

Ghafoor Hussain Shah, 56, who lives in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), is the father of eight children. He says that according to the tribal customs here, he is expected to marry off his children only with close relatives of the family. However, Shah is well aware of the dangers of genetic diseases prevalent in children from this type of marriage. He married his maternal uncle's daughter in 1987 and their three children are facing some kind of health disorder. Shah told DW that his son's brain had not developed to normal size. One of their daughters has trouble in speaking, while the other does not hear correctly.

He said, "I regret the most that they couldn't even study. I'm always worried about them. Who will look after me and my wife after they leave.'' Shah said that the social pressure of cousin marriage is very high here. People are also ostracized from society for not performing marriage in kinship. He said he had to marry one of his sons and two daughters to close relatives. His family's medical history has problems with a blood disorder, learning disability, blindness and deafness. Doctors say that this is due to inbreeding.

Let us tell you that, in marrying a close relative, the problem comes to the fore when one of the partners has some kind of genetic disease. When married within the community, it may be that the partner has the same genetic problem. In such a situation, the child is found to have two disorders in the gene and the risk of disorder increases in it. At the same time, when married outside the community, the gene pool becomes larger and the child is less likely to have a genetic problem with the parents.

A 2017 report on genetic mutations in Pakistan tracks the types of mutations and their related disorders. According to the report's database, genetic disorders are on the rise in Pakistan due to marriage in blood relations. According to a database, more than 1,000 mutations have been found in 130 different types of genetic disorders found in Pakistan.

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