Pakistan: Clerics, tribal leaders ban music, gambling in Landi Kotal

A Jirga of the local clerics and elder was held in Nalo Shaheed area and decided that locals and more specifically picnic makers would not be allowed to play music, gamble, dance or do anything against the sharia law, The Express Tribune reported.

The participation of a local additional SHO also showed that police also supported the decision, the newspaper reported.

This is not the first time that local clerics have taken the law in their own hands.

In September 2017, local clerics gathered at a religious seminary. They were led by Syed Muhammad Ilyas Binori, the newspaper reported.

The Jigra then gathered musical instruments and tv sets and torched them in the presence of a crowd.

They stated it as steps to get rid of anti-Islamic practices.

Following the order, locals and social media users protested and demanded strict action against clerics.

The head of the seminary signed a written statement in which the entire episode was declared a gross misunderstanding and assured that there would be no repeat of it, The Express Tribune.

Similar scenes are common in Afghanistan

The Taliban in Afghanistan had imposed a ban on women's education, playing musical instruments and singing since snatching power in the country in 2021.

Taliban has also banned women from operating beauty salons in Afghanistan.

Despite facing formidable challenges, women-owned and run businesses in Afghanistan continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience, serving as vital pillars of economic stability and hope amidst adversity, a new UN report has found.

Released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday, Listening to Women Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Their Struggle and Resilience, analyses data collected over the last three years, providing one of the most detailed views into the changing circumstances of women entrepreneurs in the country.

“Women entrepreneurs have demonstrated incredible grit, boldness and resourcefulness under the most dire of conditions,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific.

The research revealed that Afghanistan’s women entrepreneurs face a range of hurdles and high costs while doing business. 

Deepened discrimination and operational constraints coupled with a severely weakened financial system has forced 41 per cent of the over 3,000 women surveyed into debt. 

Almost three quarters of respondents also reported severe movement restrictions, such as not being able to travel even to local markets without a mahram (a male chaperone).

Only five per cent reported having received loans via banks or microfinance institutions.