PESHAWAR, Feb 3: The NWFP government has so far taken no decision on the appointment of women probation officers, thereby creating hurdles in the release of women involved in minor crimes, official sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

So far, only 15 women have been released on probation and that too under the supervision of male probation officers while not a single woman has been released on parole. Many young girls and women could not be released due to the absence of women probation officers in the NWFP, the sources said.

According to the sources, the home department had sent a proposal for the appointment of four women probation officers to the Chief Minister's Secretariat some time back. However, no reply had been received in this regard so far, they added.

In September last year, a proposal for the appointment of women probation officers at Abbottabad, Swat, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan was sent to Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani as there was not a single woman probation officer in the province.

Creation of six posts of male probation officers for Lower Dir, Malakand, Nowshera, Haripur, Lakki Marwat and Karak was also recommended by the home department. Azam Khan, Inspector-General of Prisons, NWFP, said that about 325 women prisoners lodged in different jails of the province for petty offences could not be released due to non-availability of woman probation officer.

Appointment of six male and four female probation officers for various districts was proposed by the home department but instead the provincial government came up with a counter proposal to establish an independent directorate of rehabilitation and probation.

"The establishment of a new directorate will not only put burden on the exchequer, it will also cause no improvement in the system. More probation officers, both men and women, should be appointed so that prisoners could be given some relieve," Mr Khan stated.

AT present, there is only one deputy director probation who is working under the IG Prison, whereas all probation officers working at the district level report to the deputy director.