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Islamabad. A tribal council ‘Jirga’ in Pakistan has banned women from visiting public places for tourism and entertainment, calling it “immoral” and against Islamic principles. The Jirga (tribal council) of the ultra-conservative Salarzai tehsil in Bajaur tribal district announced on Saturday that if the government did not implement the decision by Sunday, the Jirga members would call it their own, Dawn News reported. Will take it in hand
The jirga was organized by the local unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), one of the main constituents of the ruling coalition. The move comes at a time when the World Economic Forum in its annual gender gap report released just a few days ago ranked Pakistan as the second worst country in terms of gender equality in the world as well as in the region.
The meeting was attended by several JUI-F leaders and religious figures from the region, apart from seniors from various tribals of Salarjai tehsil. It was organized by JUI-F district leadership. Addressing the gathering on Saturday, JUI-F district chief Maulana Abdur Rashid and other speakers said that the purpose of the jirga was to discuss several issues raised during Eid and resolve them peacefully and amicably.
Speakers who attended the Jirga said that it has been noticed that apart from men, many local women, accompanied by their husbands or other relatives or alone, visit various tourist and picnic spots during the Eid holidays. The jirga claimed that it was “based on Islamic principles” against local customs and traditions. The speakers said that women’s visit to the above places for tourism and entertainment is ‘totally immoral and unacceptable’. He claimed that there is no place for such activities in both Islam and local traditions.
