In Pakistan, after Benazir Bhutto's demise , Malala has been able to galvanise massive national support for her cause.
LONDON: Those who tried to kill Malala Yousufzai failed to realise that they were pointing their guns not just towards a child activist from a small city in Pakistan but also towards a voice promoting a cause which people wanted to be heard in the country. The attackers could not recall, or perhaps were unaware of the past and recent history of the subcontinent, where female leaders have been capturing people’s imaginations and hearts for years.
In Pakistan, after the demise of Benazir Bhutto, Malala has been able to galvanise massive national support for her cause. Though, young Malala can’t be compared with Ms Bhutto in terms of her potential for electoral success, like Benazir, Malala’s voice has transcended national and international boundaries.
The Youm-e-Dua (Day of Prayer) announced by the government for Malala was a good way of taking a peaceful form of protest to the grassroots level. It was about connecting with the very people who Malala’s attackers saw as their potential audience and whose support they aim to have. The unprecedented national and international outpouring of anger and protest against her shooting is an indication of the space that has been created in Pakistan’s national discourse on the issue of female education.
As a nation, this is the right moment to extend our helping hand to all those girls who were in Malala’s school van. Regardless of whether or not they were injured or if they were directly traumatised in the attack, these girls and their families need urgent physical, psychological and emotional help and support.
Dr Khurshid Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.
