Editorial
Zafran Wazir, a teacher from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), shared a video of 10-year-old Aina Wazir’s fast bowling in a children’s match, which earned widespread praise. The video provided a rare ray of hope, suggesting that girls and women in remote areas of KP could be recognized as equal human beings, able to participate in normal activities that girls in Islamabad or other cities of Pakistan routinely enjoy.
The video and accompanying images also helped Pakistan project to the world that it was gradually emerging from the grip of radicalization and extremism that have plagued the country, particularly KP since the Afghan jihad of the 1980s.
However, this ray of hope proved temporary and short-lived. On February 20, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) abducted Zafran Wazir from his home, accusing him of promoting immorality, and later released a video in which he was forced to issue an apology. Aina’s family has since relocated for safety amid ongoing threats.
This incident recalls the tragic events of October 2012, when Malala Yousafzai was attacked by the Taliban on October 9 in Mingora, the main city of Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She was shot while traveling home on a school bus after taking an exam. A Taliban gunman stopped the vehicle, asked for Malala by name, and shot her in the head and neck because of her advocacy for girls’ education. Two other girls were also injured in the attack. Malala survived after receiving emergency treatment in Pakistan and was later transferred to the United Kingdom for specialized medical care. The attack sparked global condemnation and significantly strengthened international support for girls’ education.
When these two events are viewed together, it becomes difficult to argue that much has changed in KP, over the past fourteen years, where the TTP continues to exert influence and remains a potent force. It may be remembered that law and order is the responsibility of provincial governments in Pakistan. State intellectuals may offer numerous explanations for why the TTP persists and continues to control pockets of the province. However, the stark reality is that despite spending billions of rupees and sacrificing more than 100,000 innocent lives, Pakistan has yet to provide a safe environment in which a 10-year-old girl can freely participate in activities that are considered normal for boys.
The harassment of Aina Wazir presents the state with an opportunity to act decisively: to arrest those responsible for abducting Zafran Wazir and to ensure the security of both Aina’s family and Zafran Wazir. Such action would send a clear message to the world that the writ of the state has been established and that girls in Pakistan enjoy the same rights guaranteed under the 1973 Constitution as boys.
