Perhaps fearing for her safety, she refuses to comment on who attacked her, but admits the incident has badly affected her life.
Kainat Riaz, one of the schoolgirls injured in the Taliban attack on Malala Yousafzai, spoke to The Express Tribune about how she remains affected by her attack, but adds that her life is gradually returning to normalcy.
Perhaps fearing for her safety, she refuses to comment on who attacked her, but admits the incident has badly affected her life. She cited her constant police escort as one example of how her life is forever altered.
“I was an ordinary girl and used to visit my grandmothers and other relatives but now I am not allowed to move freely anymore. Because of this fear, I sleep with my mother,” Kainat told The Express Tribune in an interview at her home in Swat. A team of police guards have been deployed at her residence since the October attack, who also escort her when she goes to school.
“I could not sleep for several nights after the incident,” said Kainat. She addressed her injury as well, saying, “The injury was severe in the beginning. I am ok now after the treatment.”
Asked if she continued studying after being shifted home from the hospital, she said, “Yes. I continued to study at home. My father and brother helped me.”
She added that she has not yet spoken to Malala, however, Malala’s father has spoken to her.
“Her father talked to me by phone the day I briefly went to school. He told me to arrange a telephone conversation between me and Malala but it has not yet taken place,” she said, adding that she misses her friend very much.
Kainat’s father, Riaz, told The Express Tribune that Malala had called her friends and teachers at the school recently but Kainat was not at school that day.
Kainat was happy to receive a gold medal in Islamabad weeks after the October 9 attack.
“Being an ordinary girl, I did not expect that I would go to Islamabad. I could not even imagine that this would happen. What an honour we have received; it is only because of Malala. I offer my thanks to Malala for receiving the medal,” she said.
She avoided a direct reply when asked what she thinks about those who attacked Malala, saying, “My mind says she was a minor, she was emphasising girls’ education. She was campaigning for girls. She may have been attacked because of her quest for girls’ education. The attack was a bad thing.”
Kainat said she wants to become a doctor and to serve the nation.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2013.
COMMENTS (4)
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My dear Tahir! In Swat there are only 3 girls. They have threats and rest of the people of Swat have no danger. Some 27 passed away in recent suicide blast at Tablighi markaz Swat But Your eyes caught only Kainat. I am sick of this act of Harping on the same string
We are proud of you Sister, Keep up the good work :)
Faith in Allah Almighty, do good things in your life, pursue your studies, enmity with no one.
Allah Ta'ala is watching over you and Inshallah you will become a successful doctor. Salams to you Kainat and Pakistan 2013.
You can sense that she is using sarcasm when she says "What an honour we have received; it is only because of Malala. I offer my thanks to Malala for receiving the medal"....She is probably not too happy of being in media's attention, and any girl would do the same. and this media's attention makes these young girl feel further insecure, as you can sense that she already is, as she states she does not feel safe sleeping alone but sleeps with her mother. Just like the girls that refused the Gov't Girls College in Swat to be renamed after Malala. No doubt Malala is a brave young girl, but government is using her to project its own image, and because of government's invitation of her to the Parliament and awarding her some sort of certificate about 1 or 2 years ago, that she probably may have become in the spot light of the bad guys to target this innocent young girl.