October 23, 2007	Tuesday	Shawwal 10, 1428

DARGAI, Oct 22: Attendance in educational institutions for girls dropped drastically on Monday after a deadline set by local militants ended on Sunday. They had made it ‘mandatory’ for girls to wear burqa.

Some students contacted by this correspondent said they belonged to poor families and did not have enough money to buy or sew for themselves burqas, costing between Rs600 and Rs800 a piece. They said that under the circumstances, the only option they had was to abandon their education.

Local militants, who call themselves ‘Janbaz Taliban’, have been sending letters to educational institutions for girls, including the Girls’ Degree College in Dargai, about 100km north of Peshawar, warning school and college administrations to direct their students to completely cover themselves by wearing the traditional head-to-toe burqa.

They had stated that institutions whose students failed to follow their ‘orders’, would be blown up.

The radicals had also ‘directed’ girls to avoid sitting in front portions of vehicles with drivers while coming and going from schools or colleges.

An official at the Girls’ Degree College said that about 800 students were enrolled in the institution but the attendance on Monday was very thin as compared to normal days.

“Almost 50 per cent of students already prefer to wear burqa. Students, who could not afford to buy or sew a burqa, had stayed away from the college on Monday,” she added.

Currently, there are two militant organisations operating in Dargai, Malakand Agency — one is called Janbaz Taliban and the other the Islami Taliban.

Initially, videos and CD centres were targeted. People selling videos and CDs have now abandoned their businesses.

In the adjacent Swat district, the provincial education department has already made it compulsory for students to wear burqa.