Mamond jirga bars women from calling FM radio

Drug peddlers given one week by jirga to wrap up their activities in the area

BAJAUR:

Local elders of Tehsil Mamond in Bajaur tribal district of K-P have banned the visit of womenfolk to the Citizen Facilitation Center (CFC) as well as their phone calls to local FM Radio stations in a Jirga held here on Friday.

Violators will be punished with Rs10,000 fine.

A grand Jirga of local elders of all the clans was held here in Sewai Dam Johar of Mamond Tehsil attended by the elders of Barozai, Orozai and Baramkazai clans in which several resolutions were passed.

The jirga banned visit of women to CFC Khalozai which is locally known as Sadai-e-Aman Program. It is a one-window facility for computerized CNICs, birth certificates as well as registration of pregnant women and mothers who are then paid Rs2,500 stipend per month.

“If any woman went there to receive aid money her family will have to pay Rs10,000 fine,” said a local elder while talking to The Express Tribune.

All the women of the tehsil have also been banned from calling any FM Radio station program and a Rs10,000 fine has also been announced for the violators.

By the same token, local vendors (banjary) who travel from one place to other and sell goods have also been banned completely and the jirga also announced that an armed tribal militia will be raised by the elders if anyone was found involved in selling drugs in the tehsil. Drug peddlers were given one week to end their business.

Another grand Jirga will be held next Friday in which other important decisions will be made. Locals criticised the decision of the Mamond elders calling it illegal.

“These elders are making decisions which are against the constitution of the country. It should be checked by the local deputy commissioner as well as district police officer,” said a local while talking to The Express Tribune, adding that a video surfaced of a woman talking to the host of a radio program after which the elders gathered and made these decisions in order to ‘save the honour of the clans’

It is worth mentioning here that Mamond is known as the birthplace of TTP in the former Fata and the area is the most backward one.