PESHAWAR, Oct 9: Three nonformal schools for girls run by an NGO here on Charssada Road were closed down on Tuesday after an attack on one of them

More than a dozen unidentified persons had attacked the school situated at Khazana village on Monday and threatened two teachers of dire consequences if the institution was not closed down.

The attackers reportedly removed the signboards of the school and vandalized the furniture.

The NGO, Civic Awareness Promotion Society (Caps) has been running non-formal education project with the support of Cida (Canadian Fund).

The chief executive of Caps, Shakeel Waheedullah told Dawn that at a time when NGOs throughout the province were being threatened he had no option but to suspend operation of the nonformal schools at Khazana, Nehqai and Sheroojhangi.

He said that it was beyond anybody’s understanding why NGOs were being targeted.

About the attack on the school he said that it was difficult to tell who the attackers were as it was not an organized demonstration.

A joint action committee of civil society groups has asked the NWFP governor and inspector general of police to provide security to all the NGOs in the province.

An emergency meeting of the action committee was held on Tuesday at the office of Human Resource Management and Development Centre (HRMDC), which was attended by members of different segments society. They condemned the attacks on offices of NGOs in Takhtbhai (Mardan), Battagram, Bajaur Agency and Peshawar.

The speakers said that some elements had been settling scores with the NGOs in the garb of the protests against the attack on Afghanistan. A three-member committee would visit Takhtbhai.

Some members even felt that all the NGOs in the province should suspend their field operations forthwith till the time when conditions would again be conducive to resume operations. It was decided to send a written request to the NWFP governor and the IGP asking them to provide security to the their organizations.

SUNGI OFFICE RANSACKED: The branch office of Sungi Development Foundation at Oghi tehsil was ransacked by a mob protesting against the US attacks on Afghanistan, our abbottabad correspondent adds.