Girls threatened not attend school
KHAR, June 11 2006: A middle school for girls at Pashat village in the Salarzai subdivision has received anonymous letters, threatening students of dire consequences if they attend school. Officials and people of the area said that attendance in the school dropped after receipt of the letters three days ago. A similar letter was sent to tribal elder Malik Shahabuddin Khan and Salarzai tribesmen, where the school is situated, warning them of dire consequences in case they failed to close down the school.
The letters, purportedly written by suspected militants, stated that girls would be kidnapped if they continued to receive education. A letter said: “You (girls) would either be kidnapped or blown up with remote controlled bombs if did not stop attending the school.” The letter written to Shahabuddin Khan and Salarzai tribesmen, which was also signed by the writer as Khitabur Rehman, said that schools for girls in Danqol and Pashat be closed immediately.
It stated that the militant group, which had 88 activists, would also hold a meeting in the Salarzai area soon to force people to close schools. Residents said that the letters had an adverse impact on the girls’ attendance in the Pashat school. The letter had also warned that NGOs should also wind up their activities in the Bajaur agency without delay.
Agency Education Officer Razi Hussain Shah had intimated political authorities about the letters sent to the Pashat school and Salarzai elders. He told Dawn that security in . the area and around the school had been beefed up. He said that attendance in the school in Pashat had dropped, however the school had not be closed.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/11/2006
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