Mamond jirga warned over women decree
FILE
The district administration of Bajaur has warned the local elders of Tehsil Mamond of legal action if they created any hurdle for local women who want to visit the Common Facility Center (CFC) popularly known as Sada-e-Aman Markaz.
Talking to media men Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Fayyaz Sherpao said that Bajaur was now part of settled districts and local elders had no authority under the constitution to deny any woman or man freedom of movement. He informed that Additional Deputy Commissioner Zamin Khan Momand would negotiate the matter with the Mamond elders who will be asked to withdraw their decision and if they insist on the matter then FIRs will be registered against these elders who are trying to take the law into their own hands.
On Friday local elders of three clans held a grand Jirga and decided to ban women’s phone calls to local FM Radio Stations as well as their visits to Sada-e-Aman Markaz where pregnant women and mothers with infants are paid a stipend of Rs2500 after registration.
The Jirga had decided to impose an Rs10000 fine on the families of those women who will visit and receive aid from CFC.
It is worth mentioning here that there are four CFCs in Bajaur, one is located in Mamond Tehsil. The Jirga decision came after a video was circulated on social media in which a girl called the host of a radio program and talked to him in a friendly and carefree manner.
DC Fayyaz Sherpao said that such bans were a clear cut violation of basic human rights and would not be allowed in the area.
“If these tribal elders have any reservation they can openly share it with the local administration but taking the law into their own hands and making such decisions for others is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Sherpao, hoping that the matter will be solved through talks.
The Jirga decision invited widespread criticism across the province. Mamond is considered the most conservative area of the former Fata region due to a low literacy rate, the backwardness of the area, and poverty.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2021.