PESHAWAR, March 8 Sense of insecurity marred the International Women's Day in the provincial metropolis in the aftermath of a wave of terrorist attacks in the last few months.

Women rights activists, on condition of anonymity, said that despite the fact that it was comparatively peaceful in Peshawar now, women rights groups and non-governmental organisations were keeping a low profile.

The wave of extremism has pushed back women and there has been a regress for the last three years in women development sector.

Despite opposition to women's work and attacks on educational institutions, women organisations held walks and public meetings in the provincial metropolis even last year with the support of the progressive Awami National Party led- provincial government.

However, this year the focus was the Swat valley where women and girls have suffered humiliation and ban on work and education during Taliban's insurgency. After operation Rah-i-Rast, the military claimed to have cleared valley of militants.

After a span of three years, for the first time the sole woman provincial minister of ANP, Sitara Ayaz, and 12 parliamentarians of the NWFP Assembly along with Atiqa Odho, once a famous TV artiste and now social worker, held a peace rally in Swat, but amid curfew.

The 12 MPAs including Noor Sahar, Yasmeen Pir Mohammad, Nighat Orakzai, Munnawar Sultana, Zubaida Ihsan, Tabassum Younas, Yasmeen Zia, Mussarat Shafi, Sanjeeda Yousaf and Shazia Tehmas, excluding women MPAs of PML-N, were flown to the Swat valley, in a chartered plane.

The peace walk started from the PTDC hotel in Saidu Sharif and culminated in Ladies Park where Minister Sitara and others lit candles.

Speaking at the rally, Sitara Ayaz said the provincial government was taking steps on priority basis for development and welfare of womenfolk. Women would be given equal rights and employment, she announced.

She said the government had established peace with the help of the army in Swat. She appealed to women in the rest of the country to visit Swat and express their solidarity with the women of Swat.

Curfew was imposed on the Mingora road and all adjoining areas of Swat as Atiqa Odho spoke at Ladies Park to women gathered to celebrate the International Women's Day.

She criticised ministers and MPAs for not coming to Swat to serve their people. She was of the opinion that the people's representatives should come to Swat to serve their people, instead of sitting in palatial houses and offices.

She said the Taliban had unleashed terror on women of Swat, stopping them from going to school and for work and confining them inside the four walls of their homes.

As the peace rally was taking place in Saidu Sharif, the curfew deprived hundreds of students of private-run schools from going to school as their annual examination is on these days. Those going to government offices and their private workplaces also faced problems due to the unannounced curfew in the area.

While women rights' activists and non-governmental organisations working for women rights stayed away from public meetings and walks in the provincial metropolis.

The Pakhtunkhwa Jamhoori Taroon, led by its convener MPA Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, organised a walk from Suekarno Chowk, Khyber Bazaar. The participants hailing from all walks of life chanted slogans for women rights. They were also holding placards and banners. Sikandar Sherpao said the aim of holding the walk was to raise awareness among public about women's issues and their rights.

Non-governmental organisations like the Aurat Foundation, Shirkatgah and the Poverty Alleviation and Development Organisation also celebrated this day by holding some activities. The PADO held a seminar on domestic violence against women in an effort to raise awareness on the occasion of International women's day.

Rallies in connection with International Women's Day were also held in other districts including Charsadda and Swabi.