Malala Yousafzai. PHOTO: FILE
While the teenage Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Malala Yousafzai, received accolades and recognition from across the globe, there was little attention paid to her in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly on Wednesday - exactly a year after she was attacked by Taliban militants.
The issue was raised by Awami National Party (ANP) Parliamentary Leader Sardar Hussain Babak, who reminded the house that Malala was attacked on the same day last year. “I equate the Taliban attack on Malala to an attack on all girls of this region by the enemies of education,” he said.
In the same token, he also thanked countries and organisations who supported the child, saying that Malala’s endeavours have encouraged every girl of this country. Babak said everyone should keep her vision, and work towards awareness and increasing education in society.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Nighat Orakzai backed Babak and said Malala is a representation of the positive side of Pakistan.
Lawmakers from her native valley of Swat, however, chose to maintain their silence.
Absent ministers draw lawmakers’ ire
Opposition benches in the K-P assembly were irked with the treasury benches which were mostly empty when the session started an hour after scheduled time on Wednesday.
Soon after the session began, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl lawmakers Mufti Syed Janan and Mufti Fazl Ghafoor pointed out that the house lacked required number of members. Although the required number was met later, Janan asked the speaker to prorogue the session if treasury benches were not interested in assembly business. Sardar Hussain Babak also criticised treasury benches and said there was not a single minister present. He asked the speaker to issue a ruling to ensure ministers’ presence in the house.
Dir operation
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) lawmaker from Dir, Muzaffar Syed, criticised the operation being carried out by police in Lower Dir, which will continue till October 15. He said residents have already surrendered their heavy weapons under an agreement with the government and questioned the wisdom of carrying out the said operation. He was backed by JI lawmaker from Upper Dir, Mohammad Ali, who said that the elder tribesmen from Dir have always supported the government.
Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs Habibur Rehman assured them that DIG Malakand will submit a report on this operation to the House. The session was adjourned till Friday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2013.
COMMENTS (6)
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Malala, Malala, Malala -- who is this new puppet on the block. They will prop her and then drop her like a hot potato.
Sorry, Malala is a baby and cannot be glorified and used to become some one's voice. Let her grow up, let us see how many girls from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangla Desh or Saudi Arabia take after her..May be then she could be considered.
Even great Mother Teresa was not given the Nobel Peace Prize immediately.
Malala is a poster girl of the Western media and manipulators. They will prop this girl up and taking advantage of her ignorance will make her rant out their hidden agenda. Like Obama did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, it will be too premature to award Malala the Nobel Peace Prize..If she is given the prize, then the Jewish Theatre of Absurdities would be exposed, who last year selected European Union for the coveted prize....Who are the buffoons sitting in the various august Nobel Committees? Are the readers aware that 90% Nobel Prizes are won by the Jews? Just study the list of winners since the Prize was instituted. Anyone speaking about Jews are branded as Anti-Semitic, denied the prize, like MK Gandhi was denied. Tomorrow if Malala, when she grows up wiser, and starts speaking against the Jews or Zionists (two faces of the same devil), they will eliminate her too.. Enough is enough.
the thing about malala is that she is overrated she is daughter of the nation while other girls that are injured in the bomb blast are losers to be the honest the media is blind or acting blind because they are all well fed stop giving overrated praise to one stupid person and thank the army hardworking police force who perform there duties while being under constant threat of bombblasts malala or whoever she is a normal person nothing too heroic or nothing out of the ordinary the one who perform extra ordinary acts don't get any closure by media because they are in a hospital waiting for there treatment which is impossible because they are not malala
Those who are commenting here dont know that Malala is at 4 in Pakistan top 10 most hated people of Pakistan. If we appreciate her, majority of masses will kick you
@Sami: The Politicians from SWAT valley and all of those who are silent, should be ASHAMED of themselves and their cowardice. When the entire world and Politicians of all sorts are appreciating the firm conviction of this young girl at a tender age, fighting not just for her right to get educated, she stood for other women all over the world. Well these are the words I find to express my disgust to these politicians of swat and even Pakistan shows they are not ready to send their girls to education indicating they are still living the ages of CAVES. Education is only the TOOL to stop terrorism in the land of Pakistan and anywhere. If they SHUN education, it confirms they do not want to improve their lives and prefer to live under the dictates of the Mullahs. Pakistan will never improve in anyway if they deny education not only to girls, encourage the Boys to go to school which will surely improve their lives too.
PTI is at the forefront of creating confusion about the ruthless militants, giving them a safe ideological space. It is a shame that law-makers from Swat have maintained a cowardly silence to support Malala and condemn the militants. The same militants who once terrorized the whole swat. Malala, a young innocent girl from Swat, and her father were among the few who resisted their extremist mindset. The current policy of KP govt is quite clear. Serve the TTP by diverting the nation's attention from their atrocities (& by emphasizing more on drones); avoid condemning them and taking action against them, and stay safe from their wrath; and caring damn if the people.