By IANS
Islamabad : The Pakistan government has expressed concern over rising Talibanisation in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and asked the provincial administration to take measures to counter it.
A formal letter has been sent to the NWFP authorities and the government expected a positive response, Interior Ministry spokesperson Javed Iqbal Cheema was quoted as saying by Aaj television.
There have been numerous media reports of women being targeted for not dressing as per a conservative Islamic code, drivers being asked not to play music cassettes in public and beauty parlours, video and barber shops being attacked or bombed.
These are attributed to Islamist groups and heads of local mosques. A doctor, who had visited a village as part of health awareness drive, was killed last month on his way back.
In the latest incident Wednesday, a blast damaged a hairdresser’s shop in Spin Thana in Darra Adamkhel, but no one was hurt, The Daily Times reported.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast, and a government official said that an investigation has been launched into the incident.
Unidentified people have warned local barbers not to shave men’s beards, calling the practice un-Islamic.
The province’s tribal areas are home to local militants that openly support the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Health and education activists have also been targeted for allegedly spreading “un-Islamic” ideas.