MANSEHRA: The first-ever women-only open forum organised by the Torghar district administration on Wednesday called on the government to prioritise solutions to their agriculture, education and health problems.

“Can you imagine that we have only one primary school in the entire erstwhile tribal belt and are still without an adequate health facility even after receiving the status of a settled district in 2011,” a woman told the forum held at the Jirga Hall in Judbah.

The jirga, convened on the directives of the deputy commissioner, was attended by tribeswomen from various villages.

“The construction of the District Headquarters Hospital, which began almost a decade ago, has yet to be completed. As a result, women are compelled to rely on unskilled birth attendants for maternity needs,” another participant said.

She added that the only basic health unit functioning in Judbah, the district headquarters, was relocated to the tehsil municipal administration’s office, where women hesitated to visit due to the presence of men there.

Another tribeswoman said that women in the district were directly involved in agriculture, ploughing fields, harvesting crops, and taking care of herds — yet they were deprived of the agricultural facilities and benefits provided to men in other parts of the province.

District agriculture officer Ghazala Yasmeen told the participants that the government would provide them with seeds, fertilisers, and other benefits once they were registered and issued agricultural cards. She urged the women to adopt kitchen gardening to earn a respectable livelihood.

Speaking on the occasion, district education officer (women), Ayesha Bibi assured the participants that the shortage of schools would be raised with the higher authorities.

“The government is giving priority to girls education, but you must also ensure that girls are allowed to attend schools regularly,” she said.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2025