Women highlight issues at public forum

MANSEHRA: Assistant Commissioner for Baffa-Pakhal tehsil, Rabia Abbasi, said on Saturday that the district administration was paying attention to the problems being faced by women. She was addressing the first women-only public forum at Government High School for Girls in Jabori area. Additional Assistant Commissioner Mansehra, Sundus Arshad Malik, also addressed the event. The local women – mostly widows and illiterate – from the neighbouring villages said that they had been deprived of Benazir Income Support Programme and other welfare initiatives launched by the federal and provincial governments. They praised the women-only forum by district administration and also raised civic and infrastructural issues. “The successive governments announced blacktopping of bumpy roads and natural gas supply in Siran valley but we are still without any such facilities here,” stated a woman from Jabori. Another woman said that though girls’ schools were there even in remote parts of the valley, the posts of teachers were lying vacant. Rabia Abbasi said that she would address the problems raised at the forum. “My office doors are always open for you. I would rather admire you if you even inform me of those problems, which you couldn’t discuss here,” she said. Speaking on occasion, Sundus Arshad said that she would also take up the problems raised at forum with the deputy commissioner.