Islamabad: An organization of local clerics and elderly people has banned women from visiting shopping centers and markets without a male partner in Parachinar in Kurram tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. Talking to the media, local residents said the Hussaini Tehreek organization has shared the decision on its Facebook page as well as WhatsApp and it has been widely shared by its members on all social media platforms.

He further said, "We are not living under the Rule of the Taliban. We are in Pakistan, but some people have taken inspiration from the ongoing events in Afghanistan, where women have been asked not to wear shuttlecock burqas and go out without male partners.'' Hussain Tehreek is led by Maulana Abid Hussaini, a local cleric and former senator who is considered a locally influential person. They have the support of other clerics in the area. It is worth mentioning here that the residents of Kurram are considered to be the only people in east Fata who had taken up arms against the Taliban and suffered a lot as a result.

Another local said, "Most educated people in Kurram district were against this type of restrictions. Not only friends but enemies are also affected by the rapid Taliban's rise in Afghanistan. But Kurram is part of Pakistan and the authorities should take action against these self-styled reformists.'' Another local claimed that the organization has warned that women going to markets alone will be dealt with strictly and that none other than their husbands and family members will be responsible for the disrespect.

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