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| June 12, 2003 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1424 |
NGO accuses MMA govt of coercion, ends collaboration
PESHAWAR, June 11: A non-governmental organization has ended its collaboration with the provincial government in running a crisis centre for destitute women, accusing the government of adopting adverse policies towards the centre.
The Social Welfare Department, NWFP, which had provided its building for establishment of the crisis centre, Mera Ghar, has now asked the management of the centre to vacate the building by June 15.
Ms Rukhshanda Naz, Resident Director of the Aurat Foundation, told a workshop here on Wednesday that they could no longer work in an atmosphere of coercion and pressure.
She said: “It is very difficult for us to convince the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government that we are as good Muslims as the MMA people are.”
She asked how could the centre be run in collaboration with the provincial government when the NWFP governor was pressurised not to inaugurate the centre and the provincial minister was asked not the attend its function.
The project launched early this year was run by the Aurat Foundation in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the provincial social welfare department.
Ms Naz said that soon after the MMA government came to power it tried to replace the Aurat Foundation with the Al-Khidmat Foundation, an organization run by one of the component parties of the MMA.
She said that from now onward the crisis centre would be run by her organisation and GTZ and they had ended the collaboration with the provincial government. She said the MMA lawmakers continued propaganda against the centre since its establishment.
Representatives of two other crisis centres, Dastak and Panah, also addressed the workshop arranged by GTZ and the Aurat Foundation.
Ms Gulnar, representing Dastak, said that the establishment of that crisis centre 12 years ago was a revolutionary step as despite stiff opposition by certain quarters the centre was established.
Since that day, she added, the same circles had continued propaganda against Dastak without realising that more than 300 women were provided assistance each year by the organization.
Ms Aneela Ansari of Panah said that keeping in view the growing cases of Karo-kari and honour killings in Sindh the crisis centre, Panah, was established last year for which the funds were provided by Amnesty International.
She said during the last one year they had not only provided assistance to illiterate women but also to some highly-qualified women who sought their help.
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