PESHAWAR: A group of clerics in the conservative Kohistan district of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday threatened female employees of non-governmental organizations (NGO) not to work in the field or prepare themselves for forced marriages, reported Arab News.
Over the years, reports have emerged that women living in Kohistan district have faced severe restrictions on their rights and freedoms. Some of them have even been subjected to violence and honor-based crimes in the region.
“If a female worker of an NGO is found roaming on the streets without a male relative, such as her brother or father, and if she is single, we will ask any local to marry her,” Mufti Ahmad Ali, one of the clerics in the area, told Arab News over the phone. “But if a female NGO worker is married then she will be expelled from the area.”
He said religious leaders had approached the police and verbally complained about NGO employees who had been spotted on the streets for two consecutive days.
“Our decision is equally binding on locals, foreigners, and NGO workers from other districts,” he added.
Ali said the local clerics had set various conditions for development sector organizations, saying their staff members would not be allowed to “preach their religion or preach against our religion.”
“They should respect the local culture and traditions,” he continued, “and not allow women workers to roam freely in the region.”
However, he noted there was no harm in these NGOs carrying out development work in health and education sector, though their female employees must not be seen working on the ground.
Asked about the situation, Buland Iqbal, Station House Officer (SHO) of the police precinct in the area, acknowledged that religious clerics had visited him with their complaint against NGO workers, though he expressed optimism the issue would be tackled amicably.
“It was a non-issue that has been unnecessarily highlighted on social media,” he said. “NGO workers, including female employees, are continuing to work from their offices.”
Meanwhile, Nausheen Fatima, a social activist in the province, said it was “beyond comprehension” that religious leaders were trying to prevent women from performing duties in remote areas where local communities were facing acute health and education challenges.
“This decision is extremely tragic,” she said. “I hope the government will not allow such elements to take law into their hands. It is against the basic human rights.”
Fatima said NGOs should be allowed to promote health and education among vulnerable communities.
“Religious leaders should preach peace and tranquility in society instead of doing this,” she added.
