PESHAWAR: Aurat Foundation (AF), a leading women's rights group, has accused Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) of threatening to disrupt their election related activities in the Timergarah area of Dir district A press statement by the foundation on Saturday said that the JI had warned the activist of dire consequences if an AF meeting in collaboration with local social and civil rights groups was held. The JI leaders were incensed by the fact that it would be a mixed gender meeting. A police official in Dir had called up a foundation staff member to inform her that local leaders of the religious party had threatened to disrupt that meeting. The staff member had explained to the official that none of the foundation members were attending the meeting and mindful of the social norms and of the area, a separate meeting had been convened for women in a neighbouring village. The statement said that this was not enough for the Timergarah tehsil nazim who arrived at the venue and let loose a flurry of abuse. He asked the organizers to remove the chairs and tents from the venue, adding that the foundation would not be allowed to hold the meeting. Later he ordered all routes to the rest house blocked.
In order to avoid any violent incident, the foundation changed the venue. "We have brought the incident to the notice of the Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad and we hope that JI national and provincial leadership will stop creating hurdles in the way of those working towards women's participation in the polls," the statement went on to say.