CHITRAL, April 24: The Save Kalash Culture Society has criticized the sending of local girls to Islamabad and Peshawar for dancing and appealed to the NWFP chief minister to ensure that the honour of the minorities is upheld.

The president of the society, Mr Wazirzada, alleged that the rulers were exploiting the poor people of Kalash Valley.

He said the government had taken away seven girls of the community to make them dance in official functions in Peshawar, Islamabad and elsewhere.

He said the wife of President Gen Pervez Musharraf had called 19 girlsto Islamabad in January, reportedly to dance at a function held for foreign guests.

He said President Musharraf enjoyed watching the Kalash dance but he never gave any funds for the development of the valley, where people remained deprived of basic amenities.

He said the society's members had stopped the government from taking girls to Islamabad for performing at the concluding ceremony of the South Asian games.