The Pak Development Mission (PDM), the organiser of the first-ever women's cycle rally in Peshawar has accused a fellow organisation of being responsible for their failure to hold the rally on the scheduled date.
Speaking a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Sunday, the chief executive officer of Pak Development Mission, one of the three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) accused the co-organiser Zmung Jwandun (another NGO and organiser) of leaking information about the rally, which was supposed to be kept a secret to avoid backlash or criticism.
She alleged that information regarding the rally was leaked, which not only jeopardized the lives of the rally's participants but also led to the cancellation of the rally due to threats by clerics.
It may be mentioned here that Peshawar cycle rally for women was cancelled after religious parties' opposition. The rally was supposed to be held on Saturday at the Hayatabad sports complex, however, clerics protested against the event and called it an act of vulgarity.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and its sports department had announced that they were in no way associated with the rally and that the government has not been contacted for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the organisers.
NGO head Zartasha Jamal said they would reschedule the event in a month or two. "The security and safety of the girls was our primary responsibility due to which we had to cancel the rally.