Pakistan Wheat Pakistan: Bara women barred from visiting flour distribution points
Tribal elders in Bara tehsil of Khyber district of Pakistan have stopped women from visiting the officially designated points for the distribution of free flour to save them from what they call humiliation.
The ban on women was imposed by Shalobar Qaumi Council (SQC), a body of tribal elders, in a meeting held in Bara on Sunday, reports Dawn News.
SQC decided to allow only male members of the eligible families to collect free flour, citing tribal customs and traditions as reason for imposition of the ban.
The SQC members told Dawn News that some women of Bara were maltreated during the flour distribution so they decided to keep them away from such a ‘hectic’ exercise.
They said that as per the procedure, it was not mandatory for women only to collect their share of free flour as any of the male members of the relevant family could do the job.
“It is rather insulting our womenfolk than helping them in the name of provision of free flour as the distribution points are overcrowded with men, pushing their way into the crowd to collect their share of flour bags,” they told Dawn News.
