PESHAWAR, May 16: The NWFP Cabinet on Friday announced a complete ban on male instructors for female players and decided to set up a separate sports directorate for women in the province.

“Instead of male instructors, there will be female instructors. This will go a long way in encouraging women in the sports sector,” Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai told a news briefing after the cabinet meeting here. The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani.

The minister, during his briefing, faced a volley of questions on the subject and at times was rescued by officials of the information department.

He parried a question on a campaign by activists of ruling party pulling down billboards showing female models and said that it was part of an anti-obscenity drive by the provincial government. He also avoided to hold out any assurance on the proposed Hasba Act and said that it would be made public when it was presented before the NWFP assembly.

Regarding the Shariat Act, he said, the Governor had sent it to the federal ministry of law and parliamentary affairs for vetting and it would be enacted as soon as it was returned to the provincial government.

The cabinet, he said, also decided that henceforth only women would organize and supervise any female sports events. He requested the print media to depute female reporters to cover such events but had no answer when asked what photographers would do. He said that the provincial directorate of information would also recruit female information officers to cover women-related activities.

A reporter pointed out that in the entire NWFP, there were only two sports instructors, that too, men and had no female instructor at all. He wondered where the government would get female instructors and also what would the province do in case of any national or international event where female players would have to interact with male organisers and instructors. The minister obviously, had no answer.

Also missing from the cabinet agenda, was discussion on the law and order situation in the province. The minister for information was pointedly asked about it and he said: “No, law and order did not come up for discussion.”

When asked whether it meant that the law and order situation in view of the government was satisfactory. “Obviously,” he remarked.

The cabinet, he said, also decided to cancel the Governor’s notification of July 24, 2002 that had handed over Galliyat Development Authority to the district government and reconstitute the body.

A committee was also constituted to look into a federal government proposal to hand over the 216-apartments  Federal Housing Scheme near Khazana Sugar Mills in Peshawar to the provincial government.

The minister said the committee would decide whether the provincial government should buy the Rs 140 million residential blocks for its own employees. Work on the apartments had begun in 2001 and 75 per cent of the construction has been completed.

The  minister said that the cabinet also reviewed  the procurement of wheat and decided to convene a meeting to further discuss matters relating to it.

Another committee was constituted to discuss the pros and cons of a federal government proposal regarding extension of sales tax to the federally and provincial administered tribal areas.

The chief minister, Asif Iqbal said, took critical view of the non implementation of decisions taken at the cabinet’s previous meetings and directed the officials concerned to ensure that all decisions were complied with.