Death of a teacher

Hopefully, security improves before youngsters like Malala & teachers like Ms Ishtiaq are forced out of country.

Three fatal shots into the upper body cavity was the “compensation” received by Ms Shehnaz Ishtiaq, a teacher who dedicated 22 years of her life to students in the troubled Khyber Agency. Her devotion was evidenced by her husband’s statement that when asked to transfer to a safer location, Ms Ishtiaq refused, saying that she wanted to serve only the people of that particular area. Now, this headmistress at Community Girls School in Shahkas will no longer be able to shop for her brother’s upcoming wedding and leaves behind three children. Why would we have expected anything different? The security situation in the area is not unbeknownst to anyone. The tribal areas have been the setting for the murders of many civilians, including aid workers. Ms Ishtiaq’s school was already once forced to move locations due to security concerns. Unfortunately, security threats followed her and took her life as her 14-year-old son escorted her to school on the morning of March 26.

Pleas for protection for vulnerable communities in Pakistan have gone in vain. After this attack, even UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown has written to President Asif Ali Zardari to increase security measures for teachers and schoolgirls. People like Malala Yousufzai, who had said that she wanted to remain in Pakistan and work for its people — and who became a pioneer in leading the fight for women’s education rights — was forced to move out of Pakistan once she faced the wrath of extremists. Hopefully, the security situation improves before many hopeful youngsters like Malala and many teachers like Ms Ishtiaq are forced to move out of the country, simply because their right to education and their right to pursue a career are under threat. Those who have chosen to remain in the areas must be of the hope that security forces will soon come to their aid for protection, but this remains unlikely in the near future, especially as the Taliban have said that they will not let peace triumph should the upcoming elections be allowed to take place.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.