A shining example for Chitral

Despite all odds, women in Pakistan are inspiring their communities in their own individual capacities. The progress however slow exists and provides lingering hope to a society whose ancient cultural prominence is now widening. Sayed Gul Kalash, from Kalash valley’s poverty-stricken district of Chitral in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is one such example. She is the first archaeologist from the valley, serving as head of the Bamboret Museum in Chitral, and in 2013, was added by National Geographic to its Emerging Explorers programme. While Ms Gul has the boldness to step in traditional gender roles, her efforts to preserve the ancient culture of the area — with discoveries on at least eight sites — provides a fine example of the power of education in marginalised communities.

The existing body of knowledge describing the various cultures of this region of K-P has mostly been written by foreigners. Ms Gul’s discovery of the history of her own community, the Kalasha, and her search to verify historical facts in the face of a new era of exploration in K-P, whose importance needs to be emphasised.

While Ms Gul has taken up the challenge of entering traditional gender roles, there is still a larger problem of social and economic constraints that she and other women have to face. Deforestation in Chitral has resulted in an economic imbalance, so the reliance on tourism has increased. However, the absence of foreign tourists and the lack of government interest in the area have forced many people to migrate to urban areas. In this environment, her story is a highly inspirational one, not just for women, but for all young people. There may be hundreds of Guls in Chitral, whose talent possibly remains undiscovered because of the area’s poor economic conditions, social ills faced and growing intolerance against the Kalasha community. In such circumstances, it is vital to acknowledge Ms Gul’s efforts in breaking gender and community stereotypes, and is preserving our cultural heritage.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2014.

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