This picture was taken at the Public School Sangota, Swat, with the Honourable Begum Zainab Adnan Aurangzeb, Prince Dr. Mahmoud Aurangzeb, and the Principal of the girls’ school, as a mark of solidarity with the administration, when girls’ education came under attack in Swat. Now that the International Conference on Girls’ Education is to be held in Islamabad, attended by delegates from 44 countries, this reminded me of the sad and tragic incident in my own school.
The venue of this International Conference is the Convention Centre, a grand building that we once rented to hold Dawn’s mega commercial event, “Lifestyles”, attended by all known brands from around the country. It was this winter season that “Lifestyles” was always held. Ever since, the business has gone nosedive in the country, with an increase in terrorist activities and international concern for girls’ education, ostensibly to prod the defiant Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan for their ban on girls’ education.
One can only wish that a Taliban delegate was also invited and given a podium to enlighten the audience about their ostensibly repressive policies, which they term to be in harmony with Islamic guidelines that even Saudi Arabia followed until their oil fields began to dry up, after which they embarked on a new journey of transformation from a strict Islamic code to an open Western culture.
My immediate neighbor in Swat, now a Hollywood celebrity, Malala Yousafzai, carries the name of the brave Afghan Malalai of Maiwand fame, whose courage inspired my ancestors to turn the tables over the British imperial forces. I wonder what Malala Yousafzai has to say tomorrow, other than harshly criticizing the bumpkin Taliban, who are unlikely to change unless the country is compensated for the millions of lives and migrations it suffered, being used as a pawn on the international chessboard by the then two superpowers, America and the USSR. Later, it was America alone that was to be blamed, as it came to promise the land freedom, yet after two decades, it left it in shambles, recently forcing Malala to torture the spirit of the real Malalai of Maiwand in her grave, who sacrificed her life for the freedom of her people, faith, culture, and traditions, which were then threatened and are even now under constant threat, being a country still under international financial embargo.
It is only the people of Afghanistan themselves who have to decide what is good or bad for them, and not those who come and talk, having the least idea of their sufferings. I fully empathize with Malala, who suffered a gunshot injury to her head, brushing her brain. I was so concerned that when they were in Swat, even then, I called to inquire about her welfare, and when she was shifted to Rawalpindi, again I called her family before she was transported to the UAE through the Royal chartered Air Ambulance, a privilege that a few can dream of, let alone an ordinary underage school girl.
It was shocking for me when Malala Yousafzai couldn’t feel the pain of the parents of 5-year-old Ayesha from my school, Public School Sangota, Swat, whose brain was blown by the gunfire of a psychopath policeman from the Swat police. It is characters like him who are the real culprits of our children, who deserve condemnation, which Malala should internationally protest, as her voice is heard and heeded by the powers that be.
Ironically, it was only me, alone, and a few members of the Royal family of Swat, who together stood on the grounds in support of girls’ education in Swat. I wonder if this event is all about girls’ education, why no female member from the Royal family of Swat or the Principal of Public School Sangota, Swat, is invited to let the world know of the challenges they face in pursuing girls’ education within our own beloved country, rather than worrying about others and trying to put their acts together.
I wish we are now wise enough to mind our own business, rather than trying to be world leaders in causes that are of least concern to us, whether terrorism or girls’ education. Our focus should be to ensure we bring peace to our country’s children, which will be followed by prosperity, as no progress can ever be achieved without peace, which can never be promised to our children, girls being no exception, unless we mind our own business, rather than meddling in others’ affairs. Long Live Pakistan 🇵🇰🇵🇰