Activists in Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demand end to unwarranted police raids

Activists from Bara town in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa condemned the "unwarranted" police raids on their houses and while demanding a halt termed these raids a 'violation' of tribal culture and traditions, media reports said.

Activists from Bara town in Bara Tehsil in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have condemned the "unwarranted" police raids on their houses and while demanding a halt termed these raids a 'violation' of tribal culture and traditions, reported Dawn.

While addressing a press conference at the Bara Press Club on Monday, chairman Shalobar Qaumi Sareshtha Abdul Ghani, president Bazar Gul and members Zawra Din, Chiragh Afridi, Hamid Mama and Javed Afridi accused Peshawar police of conducting unwarranted raids on houses in their area during the night.

They stressed that these are a 'violation' of tribal culture and traditions and they could not continue to tolerate them. Another issue that they registered was that the Peshawar police were not accompanied by policewomen when they entered the female sections of some houses.

The activists and elders of the town slammed such raids, pointing out that this violates the sanctity of women's private lives, reported Dawn. They demanded a departmental enquiry against the police officials involved in such raids.

They also threatened to hold protest demonstrations against such 'unlawful' actions if they continue. The plight of women in Pakistan is increasing daily as a new report has stated that nearly 6,754 women were abducted in the country's Punjab province in the first half of 2021.

Out of that, 1890 women were raped, 3721 were tortured whereas 752 children were raped, a media report said. Earlier, the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) had released an investigation report on incidents of violence against women and children in Punjab and Islamabad during the first half of 2021.

According to official data, 6,754 women were abducted in Punjab in the first half of 2021. As many as 1890 women were raped, 3721 were tortured and 752 children were raped.Government figures claim that 1890 women were raped but only 396 incidents were reported in the media.

On August 30, the Board of Trustees of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) expressed concerns over increasing attacks on women in the country.

The TIP highlighted that Muhammad Ali Jinnah had "envisioned a Pakistan where women can stand shoulder to shoulder with men," but the administration has failed so miserably in it. In Islamabad, there were nearly 34 official incidents of rape while 27 incidents were reported in the media.

The number of official incidents of violence recorded in Punjab was 3,721, but only 938 cases were reported in the media.

( With inputs from ANI )