PAKISTANIS, AS a nation, often find it hard to agree on issues. Recently, the issue of blasphemy generated a flurry of divisive protests and debates. But at the moment, there’s a rare show of unity among the country’s populace. The Pakistanis are collectively incensed over the brutal attack on 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai. The child activist from the scenic Swat Valley was shot in the head and neck by the Taleban in broad daylight on Tuesday, when she was leaving her school for home.
Malala had been involved in valiantly campaigning for girls’ education in her hometown Swat, which had been under Taleban rule during 2007-2009. She rose to fame when she wrote a blog under a pseudonym for BBC about life under Taleban rule. But after a military offensive had cleansed the valley of militancy, Malala had been quite open about her activism. And even though she had been repeatedly threatened by the Taleban, the brave girl never faltered in her mission to promote education for women. She even won Pakistan’s first National Peace Prize, which was subsequently named after her. And in 2010, the then prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, on her request directed authorities to set up an IT campus in the Swat Degree College for Women. But Pakistan’s rising activist, who had hopes of joining mainstream politics one day, had to pay a heavy price for her noble mission.
As soon as the news about the heinous attack on Malala reached the Pakistani people, they vociferously condemned it. Since the incident, human rights activists have come out on the streets showing their solidarity with Malala and her family— an anomaly in a country where protests opposing the Taleban and their acts are rare. Moreover, Pakistan’s social media has witnessed an outpour of sympathy and support for the budding activist.
Judging from this heartening show of solidarity, it appears that the Pakistani people have realised that the attack on Malala has a deeper and more sinister motive. They realise that the Taleban are not just fighting a battle of guns and bombs — they are, in fact, leading an ideological offensive against progressive ideas like education and gender equality. And Pakistanis, as a nation, are showing that they won’t hesitate to standing up for their ideals. They won’t just watch their country slide down the abyss of obscurantism.
Khaleej Times Courtesy of Column