July 20, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 16, 1429

MANSEHRA, July 19: A staff member was injured when miscreants attacked the female cluster survey team of Planning and Development Department, Peshawar in Rajdari area of Battagram district late on Friday.

Some people in the area, who are opposed to women working in NGOs, had threatened to attack female NGOs’ staffers, if they came to the district in connection with job-related activities.

Police sources told Dawn that a seven-member team including six female members of Planning and Development Department was staying at the house of a local after conducting a day-long visit to Rajdari area to carry out cluster survey of the district on Friday.

Dozens of people of the area attacked the house where the planning and development department’s staffers were staying, injuring one Noshad Bibi in the head, the police said, adding the injured NGO worker was rushed to DHQ hospital, Battagram. However, she was later on shifted to Peshawar in critical condition.

Shamdara Police have registered a case against one Mohammad Iqbal, his father Yaqoob and some unidentified people. Raids were also conducted on their houses.

Battagram DPO Mumtaz Zareen told this scribe by telephone that police had launched search operation against the culprits.

He said that the police had already issued directives to the female staffers of the NGOs to restrict their movement or observe veil following the threats by some miscreants in the area.

The DPO said that the people of the area were conservative and did not like the NGOs’ women workers movement.

The female cluster survey team’s members, the sources said, were of the view that the provincial government through the Planning and Development Department had launched demographic study of the area to provide basic amenities and launched masses’ welfare schemes.

“The female staffers were visiting each and every house following official directives to get information about the problems being faced by the women folk of the area and convey it to the high ranking authorities to help them in resolving it.”

The official sources ruled out that any NGO was behind the survey process, saying Planning and Development Department was carrying out the survey.

It merits a mention here that two weeks ago local Taliban had threatened the DCO and district nazim to expel female staff members from NGOs warning them of dire consequences.