Forbid women to go shopping without the company of a man in northwest Pakistan

Islamic clerics and tribal leaders in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in northwest Pakistan, have forbidden women to go shopping in the markets, if not accompanied by a male relative. They justified the move by saying that women "distract men during the holy month of Ramadan", which began on July 10 and last until early August, but did not say whether the rise when the end of the fasting month. The tribal and religious leaders made ​​the decision during a meeting at a mosque in Karak, one of the districts of the province and made ​​known through the speakers own religious place. "Spread vulgarity and hinder men fasting during Ramadan," complained Qeem Maulana Mirza, one of the tribal leaders, referring to the women and told the AFP news agency. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims can not drink or eat, or smoke, or have sex while there is sunlight. "Those who go to market without a man in your family, will be handed over to the police," said Mirza Qeem. In that sense, the mullahs have requested the assistance of the security forces , and also the non-traders to meet women who go shopping without a male relative. However, the measure has not liked anything to vendors, who fear that customers and subtract them that the province will gain a bad reputation. In the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where most of the population is Pashtun, the same as that of the Taliban-, women are covered from head to toe, with a scarf or even a burqa, unlike other areas of Pakistan where women not only cover their hair. The province borders the tribal area that lies between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is one of the most conservative in the country. The measure taken by the clerics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa precepts reminded the Taliban who, when they controlled much of Afghanistan set the end of the nineties, also banned women from leaving home if they were accompanied by a man of his family. However, in practice turned a blind eye.