I hate to be an emissary of doom and gloom. Unfortunately, when I often look around to seek inspiration for my write-ups, I find the wretched in much greater numbers than the elated souls. My quest then becomes one of bringing forth the voice of those derelict yet quiet masses. It is on this note that I would be talking about today, December 10, which is celebrated around the world as the Human Rights Day. This exercise was taken up in the 1950s to commemorate the passing of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations (UN) general assembly on December 10, 1948, and has been followed ever since. Pakistan is a signatory of the UDHR. It is one thing to pronounce something, while quite another to implement it - the same words and actions debate. So has Pakistan been able to fulfil the objectives that it had set for itself? Has it been able to walk the talk? By all perceptible indication - no it has not. The ubiquitous human right violations within the country would put anyone’s imperturbability to test. The sectarian discord, religious extremism, ethnic contentions, as well as opinions a person possesses are all claiming lives and rights. If lucky enough to be spared by these, wait until an inferno engulfs your factory - the one with no fire exits and barred windows- and you've had it. It becomes pretty hard for me to incorporate my sentiments in as few words as my editor permits. Thus, instead of rambling any further let me talk about the articles that the state of Pakistan has vowed to follow, and to provide the rights incorporated in them to its people.

Article 2:  Freedom from discrimination;

Article 3-  Right to life, liberty and personal security;

Article 5- Freedom from torture and degrading treatment;

Article 7- Right to Equality before the Law;

Article 18-  Freedom of belief and religion;

Article 19- Freedom of Opinion and Information;

 Article 25- Right to adequate living standard;

A protest by students against the renaming of Saidu Sharif Degree College after the 15-year-old peace activist, Malala Yousafzai, was no surprise to me. The demonstration by female students shocked those who adore the iconic activist. However, the dissent was a result of a planned conspiracy against Malala. Ever since Malala received the National Peace Award from the prime minister, a group which roots itself along religious lines swung into action and criticised the young girl for receiving unnecessary importance.  On October 9, when she was shot by unidentified assailants, public opinion against Taliban brutalities reached a new high. Malala had openly condemned the desecration of educational institutions, banning of female education and raised a voice against the Taliban – a far cry from the norm in Swat Valley where students remained tightlipped about Taliban activity and were subservient to their orders. To understand their sentiments, I interviewed students who took part in the protest at the Saidu Sharif College. Most students claimed that an anti-Malala propaganda had begun to spread across the region. They claimed rumours were spread, that their college was receiving threats by militants, who wanted to attack the institution due to the renaming. Under such circumstances, girls raised a hue and cry against the move by the college, and some students even pelted stones at posters of Malala. Ironically, neither the principal nor the college’s chief-proctor were present on the day of protest. Some journalists were informed prior to the incident. This raises a plethora of questions. Why were the senior-most authorities absent from the college? Who informed the journalists? Who motivated the students to protest? And most importantly, are there some extremist elements working from within the college? Read more by Fazal here.

It is all about having an ‘open-mind’ these days. A mind so open that your brains might fall out! Listen here, be open-minded. It will free you. From everyone you don’t like, from all things that bore you, from dogma, biases and irrationality. Remember, open-minded people don’t condemn drone-strikes- even if collateral damage breaks their heart and makes them want to end this stupid drone business somehow - dead terrorists or no. See, drones might kill innocent people. But then terrorists kill innocent people too. And this justifies collateral damage in a twisted way. Now go figure. And don’t forget to Tweet about this. And please, no mention of collateral damage when you talk of Malala. Your face must look like you just had a root canal- at any mention of that wonderful, wonderful girl. You must pretend that you are not irritated by this grotesquely blown out of proportion hullabaloo. And try and write a love poem for her in Pashto. No wait, someone’s already done that. Try Punjabi. Hold on, pick Spanish. Open-minded people don’t do Punjabi. Now Tweet this. Also, you are Malala. I am Malala. My mom is Malala. Your mom is Malala. My dead grandmother’s long lost neighbour is also Malala. They just weren’t as open-minded enough back then to realise who she really was. Tweet. And change your Facebook profile picture. Duck-faced pose is a must- Malala’s picture in background. Of course dear, I believe in your freedom to choose. But somehow, because I’m so open-minded, I also know what more ‘intelligent’ people will choose. And I silently look down upon those who don’t choose what I think they should choose. Call it a bias if you must. Biases are okay, everyone has them- part of life. Now, update Facebook status. And bark. I mean, Tweet. Malala, it’s been so long since we mentioned her. So hey, why on earth do you force your children to go to madrassas? That’s just not how it’s done. What? You think Western education indoctrinates people? Oh my, you are so biased. I mean, yes I know, I’m biased too. But there’s a limit to how biased you should be. And only I know what that limit is.  And let me tell you that you’ve crossed that limit. Don’t you understand? It’s impossible for children to be civilised and enlightened if they don’t read Shakespeare. And dear me, stop forcing them to read stuff- unless it is Shakespeare. Now Tweet about this. What double standards? Look, you need to stop saying all these close-minded things. Malala, Tralalalala, Oooolala. Wow. I’ll make one heck of a poet! Most importantly, you must be well-read to be open-minded. But don’t trouble yourself so much with books. Here’s the shortcut; human history begins with the French Revolution. This was when a bunch of people refused to eat slices of cake. Then everyone became a liberal and began to import silk from China and spices from India and the global economy boomed. What conquests? No, no, it was all through peaceful trade agreements. What you’re saying is all propaganda. God, you’re so gullible! Tweet. Malala. Obama. Obala. Malama. Hahaha. Human history, my dear, ends with Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama was this very open-minded man who thought that ideological evolution reached its final stage with the triumph of Western liberal democracy. Sounds cool doesn’t it? No, no. No need to read that book of his. What’s Wikipedia for? Lastly, remember that being open-minded is the only rational thing. Rational means everything that you think is right. Basically, it stands for all of these lovely open-minded merits of ours. You need to memorise this word; rational. Use it in conversations every day. And never mind its strict philosophical definitions. Just use it whenever you feel like you don’t have a good counter-argument. Okay? Malala. Tweet. Read more by Faiza here.

Oh, Malala! How did a child like you ever manage to lock herself in the eye of an unrelenting storm of controversy and conspiracies? Usually when a girl gets shot, she gets to reap much support and sympathy. Somehow, that art is lost on you. Almost everything your name touches, spontaneously combusts into an inferno of angry protests- if not simmer with a million eye-rolls and irritable head-shakes. A recent example is the controversy surrounding the renaming of the Saidu Sharif College in your honour. The students had several reasons to protest. One was about your audacity to seek medical treatment abroad, thus “abandoning” Pakistan. I cannot imagine anything less patriotic than to seek better medical facilities outside the country, even when the Taliban had vowed to attack you here again, if you survived! Another was about the concern that your name on the college’s sign over the gate would poke the Talibani dragon in the eye, and prompt an attack. It confuses me how said poking is not being done merely by the sight of female students walking in and out of that gate carrying books. And I am unable to decide whether it is prudence or plain cowardice that makes these students distance them from you, who is fighting courageously for these very girls’ right to education. Not to mention, the negative reaction incited locally by President Zardari’s decision to donate $10 million to a global fund in your name. Congratulations, kid. Because of your name’s association with this war chest, educating young girls now looks like an evil plot worthy of scorn instead of applause. Never before has a charitable donation been a lightning rod for so many angry comments. Perhaps, our annoyance and suspicion towards you stems from our refusal to blindly listen to the media (or reason in general). We suspect that you are an American agent who was shot by an American agency. I know that sounds weird, but I do have my doubts. Even when the Taliban confessed to the attack; even when they issued a new threat to you after the attack; even when the key suspect's sister personally apologised to you; even when your classmates and teachers testified to this flagitious assault; even when every official from Islamabad to London confirmed the attack, every news channel covered it, and school children around the world sang songs in your honour; I, Pakistani, still have my doubts. Meanwhile, some guy claimed to have found a way to run his car on water, and THAT I believed beyond doubt! Conspiracy theories are fun, and often allow us to live with the delusion that we’re simply too smart to believe the official versions. I wonder if the liberals know that. Maybe the next time there’s an attack on us as tragic as the Salala raid, the liberals can launch our own social-media campaign claiming that the attack was orchestrated by Pakistan, to malign the United States and gather political ammo against their drone program. Would that be awfully silly and insensitive? Very likely so, but it would be intriguing to observe the right-wing’s reaction to its own medicine. I would’ve, if I could, padded this blog with nothing but your name “Malala” repeated 638 times, and allowed myself to be amused by the tsunami of complaints about the media’s obsession with you. Why did we not celebrate Drone Victims Day? Why not Burmese Muslims day? Why not Slipped-In-The-Bathroom-Banged-Head-On-The-Toilet-Seat-And-Had-A-Concussion Day? Don't we realise that every tragedy in the world deserves constant media attention, except yours? Heavens know, there is nothing extraordinary about a girl who won their hearts and minds globally. An article on BBC Urdu at the age of 11, achieved a nomination for an international children’s peace prize in her fight for girls’ education, and took a bullet for her cause the following year. Or perhaps there is something wonderfully inspiring in here that I’m missing? Read more by Faraz here, or follow him on Twitter @FarazTalat.

The authors of this post are Maria Niazi and Tamreez Inam. It’s that time of the year when we reflect back at the year that was and look forward to the next one. So we opened up the news and all we saw in the articles that took stock of Pakistan’s top stories of 2012 was plane crashes, terrorism, Veena Malik’s antics, and porn. Wow, that was depressing. We know this is not all that happened in Pakistan, so we’ve decided to come up with a list of our own. Here is our list of the stories that warmed our hearts, moved us, inspired us and made us proud of being Pakistanis. Happy New Year! Ps. This list is not exhaustive. These are just the stories that spoke to us. Please feel free to add your own highlights from 2012 in the comments section below. 1.       Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy brought home the Oscar Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, journalist and documentary filmmaker, became Pakistan’s first woman to win an Oscar with her documentary ‘Saving Face’ telling the stories of resilience and courage of Pakistan’s acid attack survivors. Sharmeen was also featured on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list for 2012. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="293" caption="PHOTO: AFP"][/caption] 2.       Sporting glory The year 2012 saw Pakistan performing well in a number of sporting arenas. Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif won the World Amateur Snooker Championship, we won the Asian kabaddi championship against India earlier this year, and ended the year by winning the Asian Hockey Championship in Doha beating defending champions India 5-4. Amongst great cricketing moments this year, Pakistan won the Asia Cup; was the joint winner of the Under-19s Asia Cup; and finalists at the Blind Cricket World Cup. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="PHOTO: AFP"][/caption] 3.       Imran Qureshi named ‘Artist of the Year 2013’ Imran Qureshi, a celebrated miniature artist trained at the National College of Arts, was named ‘Artist of the Year 2013’ by the Deutsche Bank Global Art Advisory Council. His unique art work combines the beauty of traditional miniature painting techniques with modern aesthetics and themes. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="384" caption="PHOTO: http://www.aaj.tv/2012/11/deutsche-banks-artist-of-the-year-2013-imran-qureshi/"][/caption]   [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="384" caption="PHOTO: http://www.aaj.tv/2012/11/deutsche-banks-artist-of-the-year-2013-imran-qureshi/"][/caption] 4.       Malala Yusafzai inspired the world This young girl literally took a bullet in the head for what she believed in: right to an education for girls. She was hailed across the world as a symbol of courage. TIME magazine voted her the second most influential person in the world, right after the United States’ President Obama, in their annual list for 2012. Furthermore, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon announced that November 10 (the day she was shot) be named as 'Malala Day'. Not bad for a 15-year-old! 5.       Pakistani movie Lamha rocked the world Given the dismal state of Pakistani cinema, it was indeed an honour when a Pakistani film Lamha (Seedlings) bagged two awards at the New York City International Film Festival. Lamha won the Best Feature Film- Audience Award and its leading lady Aamina Sheikh won the Best Actress in Leading Role award. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410" caption="Mohib Mirza, Aamina Sheikh, Meher Jaffri, Mansoor Mujahid pose at the screening of Lamha (Seedlings) at the New York City International Film Festival. PHOTO: Twitter"][/caption] 6.       Pakistani debaters held their own Pakistan’s team of student debaters won the finals against South Korea at the Karl Popper Debating Championship held in Mexico this year. Team members Zainab Hameed was named the top speaker of the competition, while Azeem Liaqat came in second. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="408" caption="PHOTO: IDEA"][/caption] 7.       Usman Riaz: Guitarist extraordinaire In June, the 21-year-old musician wowed all those present at TED Global 2012 with his percussive guitar. In addition to being a TED Global Fellow, he has composed the soundtrack to the film Lamha (Seedlings) and other original pieces of work, and is someone we are eagerly anticipating more from! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410" caption="PHOTO: RYANLASH/TEDBLOG"][/caption] 8.       Project Clean Up for Peace [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410" caption="PHOTO: LOLZSTUDIOS"][/caption] Upon the release of the controversial film ‘Innocence of Muslims’, a volatile combination of religious and political outrage in Pakistan led to mayhem and destruction in certain major cities in September. And then a group of young people did the unthinkable: they cleaned up afterwards. It started with a simple tweet by Faran Rafi and his friends, but wound up getting the country’s young people on to the streets for a different cause. With their statement that read, “Let’s all be peaceful and show the world that REAL Pakistanis don’t believe in violence,” this was volunteerism at its best. 9.       Edhi’s Nobel Prize nomination Pakistan’s favourite humanitarian finally received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. Edhi, who is regarded with an almost religious reverence amongst innumerable Pakistanis, might not have won but the nomination in itself was welcome for officially recognising his extensive efforts and contribution to a country that gets more bad press than investment banks. It also reminded us of the power of raising our voice (be it through online petitions, campaigns or otherwise), no matter how pointless or meagre an effort it may initially seem. 10.   A railway policeman who was a hero More often than not, it’s the ordinary people who prove to be the biggest heroes. In August, 38-year-old Railways policeman Sohail Mehmood risked and lost his life to save a six-year-old boy from getting run over by a train at Landhi, Sindh. Although the incident was tragic, it can also be seen as a reaffirmation of our faith in the ordinary Pakistani- the dependable, anonymous faces who can surprise you the most by putting other people first. 11.   Triumphs in theatre What can we say? This was the year of veteran playwright Anwar Maqsood’s first ever staged play, Pawnay 14 August. It appealed to every Pakistani’s inherent patriotism and for that we consider it an accomplishment. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410" caption="PHOTO: KOPYKATSPRODUCTION"][/caption] Another triumph of Pakistani theatre in May 2012, was the Lahore-based Ajoka Theatre being awarded the prestigious Otto Award for Political Theatre 2012 at the Castillo Theatre on Broadway, New York. 12.   Pedal for peace One of our favourite personal initiatives in 2012 was Pedal for Peace, the brainchild of Abdul Basit Khawaja and Mohsin Ejaz, with the aim of cycling from one city to another to ‘spread a message of peace and tolerance’, and to create awareness about certain social issues of education, health and poverty in Pakistan. During 2012, the team travelled to Lahore and Peshawar, and has plans to go to Multan, Karachi and Amritsar, India soon as well. The initiative has managed to forge links between local NGOs and institutions that are working in these areas. 13.   The Jhang model In a commendable effort to tackle petty corruption, the Punjab government developed the Punjab Model of Proactive Governance or the ‘Jhang Model’, as an anti-corruption governance mechanism to gather feedback and engage citizens. Started in 2011 and awarded the Innovation Fund Prize by the World Bank, the last year has seen the initiative being picked up and implemented in five districts of Punjab, with further progress being made as we speak. Given its effective start, we can hope to see this as a concrete step in the right direction. Watch the video here. 14.   Rimsha Masih – and a (small?) victory for minorities [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="410" caption="PHOTO: AFP"][/caption] Blasphemy charges were dropped against the young Christian girl with Down’s syndrome in November, and the main accuser Khalid Jadoon Chishti was arrested. True, the Rimsha Masih case exposed one of the ugliest sides of Pakistan. But the outcome showed that even though it’s a long way to go, there is yet hope for ensuring justice for Pakistan’s minorities. 15.   Changing the image of Pakistan one 'Lolz' at a time We love the light hearted yet meaningful way in which Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi and his team at Lolz Studios have decided to promote a softer image of Pakistan. Their videos have inspired countless Pakistanis and have made Muzamil into something of a celebrity. Especially ‘22 Random Acts of Kindness’ earlier this year when Muzamil decided to spend his birthday performing random good deeds for strangers such as distributing balloons at an orphanage to anonymously cleaning someone’s car, touched the hearts of not just Pakistanis but many across the world. Watch the video here.

Year after year, March 8 unwaveringly marks International Women’s Day, which is commemorated globally for more than a hundred years now. And while the original focus of the celebration was a movement towards gender equality and women’s suffrage, it has since evolved to become more than that. It has become a day to celebrate women – their achievements and successes – as well as bring awareness to the progressions they’ve managed to accomplish thus far. Yet, I can’t help but wonder about the significance of this day – whether it even deems any significance at all – especially for Pashtun women living back home, within Pakistan and/or Afghanistan. While it is fairly easy for Pashtun women like me (as well as many others), who are living in the ‘privileged’ West, to talk about the importance of International Women’s Day and how it brings awareness to our rights as citizens, and mostly importantly of all, as human beings; we still fail to realise that the majority of Pashtun women, especially those living ‘back home’, do not have access to the same privileges, for they are denied even the most basic of human rights.

“Pashtun women have little access to the outside world to even know what is being celebrated in their honour as women. Though this day is designed for women to have a voice, and to gather and discuss what they need to empower themselves, little of this happens in reality,” says Ariana Karzai, founder of the Pashtun Organisation for Women (POW). “Few women show interest in the March 8th celebrations, and few discuss the problems that most women face in our regions. I believe that in order for March 8th to be successful, more and more women need to participate and come up with ideas to help our women advance.” She added.

“What could International Women’s Day possibly mean to us? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. A Pashtun woman who dares to disagree with her parents is ‘manner less'; a woman who dares to disagree with her brother is 'westernised'; and a woman who dares to disagree with her husband is a 'whore'. We praise Malalai Ana for encouraging soldiers (men) to fight the British for over a century ago. But we hate to hear our own sisters, daughters or wives raise their voice for education,” says Maryam A, a Pashtun woman from the United Kingdom.

“This day is more important now than ever before as more Pashtun women are mobilising and heading towards a more educated future. Women are rightfully demanding dignity, respect and recognition for their role inside their homes, as much as for their role outside (career women, breadwinners, etc.),” says Hina Din, a Pashtun writer and a human rights advocate.

Parveen Rehman, a long-time director of the renowned Orangi Pilot Project was brutally killed this past Wednesday night in Karachi. She was targeted while travelling in her car near the Banaras flyover.   Rehman was an architect by profession, but left her job to work on the OPP. She was given the honourable task of improving the lives of the residents of Orangi, which she performed sincerely for the past two decades. She kept a low-profile in the media and lived a simple life with her mother in the neighbourhood of Gulistan-e-Johar. She had been receiving death threats for a while now from people who were unhappy with her ambitions; people were unhappy with her efforts in improving the lives of the deprived members of our society. Her death has been a great loss not only to those involved in the project but to the welfare sector of Pakistan in general. What is sad is the fact that this is not the first time a social worker has been murdered. There have been numerous incidents that have targeted social workers in the past; these were spoken about for a few weeks and then became history. No lesson was learnt from them. In October 2012, Malala Yousufzai, a 15-year-old girl was shot by militants in North West Pakistan and was seriously wounded. She was an outspoken activist for female education in the province. She wrote blogs for BBC Urdu regarding the situation of the girls in the North-West stating that the Taliban would not permit them to attend school. Her efforts were suppressed through the use of violence. In December 2012, we came face to face with the unfortunate deaths of six polio workers who were shot dead by gunmen in Pakistan. Amongst the six, five were women and one was a man. The Taliban resisted the polio campaign and we all witnessed an ill-fated end of these committed workers; workers who were eager to help improve the lives of the children in Pakistan where polio is one of the most rampant diseases at the moment. Once again, good work was halted permanently instead of being rewarded. During an internship at the HRCP, I interviewed Mr Robin who used to work for a peace and justice NGO in Karachi. In 2002, this NGO was attacked by people who were against the work it did for the underprivileged. The office at the time had eight members of staff, seven of whom died. The sole survivor, Mr Robin was injured by shrapnel. I met him over 10 years after the incident but I could still feel the psychological effect the episode had on him. The people responsible were not convicted; in fact no case had been filed against them. There are many people who try to do some good for the society in terms of social or voluntary work. They give up their valuable time for their philanthropic interest. These people should be highlighted and made models for other members of society. Instead, their eagerness to empower the unprivileged in Pakistan ends up shortening their life substantially, eventually leading them to a painful and untimely death. We always say that for society to change, we need to change; we need to go out there and do something to help. Yet, the end result of those that have done this is anything but encouraging. It is stories like that of Parveen Rehman that make us wonder whether it is even worth taking the risk to be a social worker. The question to ponder is, what will be done about her death? Will it just be forgotten in a few days or will her killers be found and punished for this unethical act? Past incidents of its kind have revealed the answer to be a resounding ‘no’. Yet, one can hope that the matter will be thoroughly investigated by the police and the death of Parveen Rehman will not just be another murder in our country conveniently swept under the carpet. Let social workers and volunteers working to help improve society be remembered not for the miserable death that they suffered but for the good work they did in their lifetime and the justice that was sought for them upon their death. I salute you Parveen Rehman; thank you for being so brave when millions around you preferred cowardice. Thank you for trying. You will always be cherished and remembered. Read more by Umaima here

There is a Malala in each and every girl of this unfortunate country. Amidst this war torn country, this teenager voiced her opinion against those elements of society which, quite atrociously advocate that girls should not be allowed to go to school. For them, she is just an ordinary girl. For us, she is a hero. Now, she wears a smile on her face as she strides along the streets of Birmingham, towards Edgbaston High School. She has seen yet another day when she can put on a school uniform and continue with her education. In Pakistan, a society where girls’ schools are being burnt down, she raised her voice and fought for her right. In England, where she is openly allowed to express her right, she is surrounded by people who may be hostile towards her headscarf. I say this because teenagers are typically hostile towards anything that varies from the norm; I, thus, am worried that she might be bullied for her beliefs. However, when asked about the headscarf, she confidently said that,

“It is my right.”

“This is a great day for Malala, for her family – and for the cause of education worldwide. By her courage, Malala shows that nothing – not even bullets, intimidation or death threats – can stand in the way of the right of every girl to an education. I wish Malala and her family well as her courageous recovery continues.”

“I am excited that today I have achieved my dream of going back to school. I want all girls in the world to have this basic opportunity. I miss my classmates from Pakistan very much.”

When Malala Yousafzai, was shot by the Taliban last October, there was a huge outcry all over the world about the dismal state of education for girls in Pakistan. It wasn’t the first time such an attack happened however, and unfortunately it is not the last. Despite international awareness and pressure put on the government to provide girls a safe haven for education, we seem to be engulfed in violence where teachers, schools and students are attacked frequently. Just days ago, a principal in Baldia Town in Karachi was killed along with several other children during a prize distribution ceremony. Even though no immediate response was claimed, it is widely believed that this attack was carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It is really easy to blame the Taliban and local mafias for the attack, but equally tragic that investigations into such incidents reach no conclusion. Terming it a terrorist attack is closure enough it seems. A few days ago, a professor belonging to the Shia community was shot dead in Karachi. The only follow up we got for his brutal murder was that it was a sectarian attack and since he was killed for his belief he was, therefore, a martyr. Is this enough? Labelled a martyr and forgotten? More recently, Shahnaz Nazli a teacher in the Khyber tribal district was killed. Fortunately her son -- who saw the bullets pierce through his mother -- managed to survive. Even though he survived, this incident will probably haunt him forever and many other teachers working in schools nearby. It makes one question the value of an education and its opportunity cost. Would I want to get an education at the peril of my own life? In January alone, seven other teachers were killed in Swabi, a place in Pakistan’s tribal areas. These killings are a constant reminder of the darkness that has plagued the future of this country. Killing a teacher is like strangling the future of many children. Student childhood memories are changing from being playful to painful. How unfortunate is that child? The incidents mentioned above are all very recent. Between 2008 and 2010, around 22 teachers were killed according to the Human Rights Watch and yet again, nothing has been done. We have learnt nothing from our mistakes, from the previous lives lost. There seems to be a systematic elimination of teachers and aid workers in Pakistan. Not everyone shot by the Taliban is fortunate enough to be treated in the UK and be made a national icon. Those teachers, who risk their lives daily, deserve not only appreciation but security. They have families too; a life and a mission that needs to be protected, and this responsibility falls on the government. What the state has to do cannot be done by ordinary Pakistanis. Keep in mind, this issue is not concentrated in the volatile tribal areas - it has spread all the way south to Karachi. Aside from teachers, polio workers and rescue workers are all being targeted with impunity. As the rich and affluent find their way out of the country while those aiming to make a change are silenced, at times my future and that of the coming generation in this country, makes me shudder. Read more by Maheen here or follow her on Twitter @MaheenIshaikh

Ladies and gentlemen, the conundrum for you today is to guess what March 13, 2013 and May 13, 2013 have in common. Many of you will answer, ‘the number 13,’ but looking beyond this obvious similarity, the former date marked the death of Perveen Rehman whereas May 13, marked the unfortunate death of Abdul Waheed Khan. Perveen and Abdul were both human rights activists, trying to improve the situation in Pakistan in terms of social mobility. It has been two months since Perveen’s death and nothing has been reported with respect to any investigations or legal proceedings against her killers; attaining justice for her death has become a long lost cause. Similarly, Abdul Waheed Khan was shot dead by three men in front of his house when he was with his one-year-old daughter and his brother. The man was not only a human rights activist, but was running a co-educational school, the Naunehal Academy under the Bright Educational Society which he started in the late 1990s, in Qasba Colony, Karachi. He was also running a pharmacy that provided free medicine to the poor. He was a man determined to improve the distribution of income and wealth in the country through the provision of education and medical supplies. Abdul’s death has been a severe loss for Pakistan. It is suspected that Abdul was killed by religious extremists, possibly the Taliban. However, this is old news to us having encountered the incident with Malala Yousufzai and what she suffered merely because she wanted to educate herself. Abdul was bringing modern education to the slums of Karachi where most of the inhabitants were those who had migrated from Northern Pakistan, for better job prospects. Perhaps Abdul’s case is different. His elder brother was killed as he refused to stop the modern education of girls and boys. Abdul had been receiving death threats ever since then, but his commitment to bettering the lives of others was endless and this is the price he paid for it. So, was he wrong in being brave and not a coward? Should every human rights activist drop everything at the first sign of a threat? Should we live our lives in fear of unfortunate but unforeseen things happening to us? If that was the case, people in Karachi would not leave their homes, no child in the Taliban territory would go to school, and Musharraf would never have returned to Pakistan. So what should one do? Fight for what one believes in, like Perveen and Abdul, and fight for all those who are under threat for their efforts in the form of social work. However, I do wonder what social workers get in return of their relentless struggle. Just a blog in The Express Tribune praising their efforts and expressing sorrow at their unfortunate death? That’s all? Let’s hope not. What these people need is protection and justice. Every death should matter and death shouldn’t be a news headline for a day and then forgotten the next day. In such cases, an FIR is usually registered against an unknown person and I do not remember a name being substituted for this word ‘unknown’ in the previous incidents of human rights defenders. But let's hope this changes and people are held accountable for their actions. In this case, it is believed that the Taliban are involved and one can only request the government to arrest the assassins of Abdul and not make his death ‘just another life’, which will be long forgotten in the police stations in a matter of days. Moreover, an educated population is an important step towards the development of a country and therefore the efforts of human rights activists like Abdul should be appreciated and their deaths investigated. The government must take some action in the form of legislation to protect human rights activists who are constantly under threat in our country. They work to improve our lives - something that the government is unable to do. On May 13, 2013, Abdul Waheed Khan did not just die; a one-year-old daughter’s father died; a family’s pride died and a member of Pakistan’s well-wishers died; education died. May his soul rest in peace. Read more by Umaima here

We have never given a toss about education in Pakistan. This is not a blanket statement but a fact pretty easily verified if you look at statistics of literacy in this country or the work done on education in our sixty year history. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) puts our literacy at 56%, but also reports that the largest part of our nation which is the rural Pakistan has more than 70% illiteracy, when our regional neighbours like India and Sri Lanka boast literacy rates of around 75% and 91%. In fact education is such a huge priority in Sri Lanka that if schooling is not provided to children, their families may suffer criminal penalties and even jail time – something that left me astonished when I found out about it on my recent visit there. We are also very fond in this country on not attaching any importance to the power of an individual and constantly blaming the system for all our woes. None of us want to take action ourselves because we do not think we can make a difference. On October 9, 2012, our worst enemies took part in a horrendous act which should be regarded as a watershed moment in Pakistan’s battle against illiteracy; they attacked Malala Yousafzai. This one individual became the rallying cry for Pakistan since that day, and until now, she is serving as perhaps the best soft image this country has provided on the international front. She was not, however, taken up by the mainstream as much as her whole story was told by social media. She was a BBC blogger before she was attacked and her cause became the cause of the social media of Pakistan instantly, as people identified and discussed her in both good and bad terms to the extent that the world had to sit up and take notice. The result, as some people like to theorise in conspiracy (our other national past time), was not just accolades for her but the change in our national narrative. Time and time again, people in this nation proclaim that social media does not have the numbers to affect any “real change” but they forget the fact that the 22 million minds present on social media are in fact the change everyone keeps on talking about. They are enabled, powerful and opinionated. They are also the portion of our population who have the means and the connections to make things happen because they are, in fact, a chunk which helps Pakistan make its major decisions. The point is that we always knew education was important, but this time before elections we through social media held our “to be leaders” accountable for education. Alif Ailaan and other campaigns on education online are living proof that the “elected” who are now in our assemblies knew that this time they would have to answer if they did not meet the voters’ expectations. This is why all the provincial budgets being announced have all increased their spending on education. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has declared an education emergency with Rs102.4 billion set aside for education. This is a whopping 30 per cent of the K-P budget. Sindh has a budget of  Rs133.22 billion for education. This is also the largest slice of the provincial budget, coming down to a staggering 21 per cent. Punjab has allotted Rs210 billion for the same purpose out of a Rs897 billion budget. Now what remains to be seen is how these funds will be utilised and what check and balance we can keep on the “elected” who are to disburse them. The fact, therefore, is that we can see the drive now and attribution for it will be claimed by various political forces, but the spark which lit this all was one girl and her blog which may have changed her nation’s future forever. That, my friends, is the power of one Pakistani. Imagine what could happen if we all worked together for something positive. Read more by Faisal here, or follow him on Twitter @faisalkapadia

It was a privilege to take a few minutes off my life and listen to Malala Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations- alas, on YouTube. I’ve been away from social media the past few days, but I couldn’t help but take a cursory look at social media to see folks questioning whether Malala’s speech could have been better. Strangely, I have to swallow my anger and admit: you are right. Malala’s speech could have been better! It could have been better if this speech was delivered at the UN General Assembly by Barack Hussein Obama, the President of the United States - the single most powerful leader in the world. It would have been better if in attendance weren’t young people from around the world, but the leaders of all of the world’s nations - including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. It would have been better if the speech was topped off by a UN resolution recognising the threats to the rights of children and their access to education and a firm promise that the world’s countries will not stop until every child’s right to education is respected and they are provided access to it. It could have been better if that resolution was passed unanimously by a vote from every single member state. And it would have been better if the promises in that resolution were kept. In a world like that, this speech, the one Malala delivered, could and would’ve been better. But we don’t live in a world like that. We live in a horrible, terrible world. A world where a teenager, brutally shot in the head for wanting education has to recover from her injuries and despite threats to her life, forget about living a normal life, or celebrating her birthday, adorn herself with the shawl of another woman who was brutally murdered for wanting rights for all and implore the world to act. And her pleas will more likely than not still get ignored. I agree with you. This is a travesty. Screw this speech. Don’t be proud, don’t be happy, don’t be grateful and do nothing. Because the fact that you cannot admire a human being like Malala really speaks to the fact that you cannot imagine a different world. You are stuck in a place where what happened to Malala and what happens to children like her cannot be averted. You cannot dream nor can you commit to dreams of a better future like Malala. You are like the leaders of our country; not only are you spineless and unwilling to contribute to change, but you are unable to even recognise those who at least try to make that change possible - even if they don’t have the backing of people of your ilk. That’s why we have to make do with a world where 16-year-olds teach us lessons in courage and personal sacrifice while people like you chime in to undermine her work. So yes... Malala’s speech could’ve been better. Read more by Josh here, or follow him on Twitter @JShahryar

He bravely stood up against a confusing blasphemy law that was often misused to target minorities, yet after his assassination, we indulged in the irrelevant details of Salmaan Taseer’s private life, while showering his killer, Mumtaz Qadri, with rose petals. Perhaps learning of Salmaan Taseer’s ‘westernised’ lifestyle helped us vilify him as a puppet of the west, and relieved us of any guilt. Yes, we are Pakistan - a nation with confused priorities. We are a nation where Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan is hailed as a hero who singlehandedly brought nuclear capability to the country, yet we barely acknowledge the murky details of his alleged sale of state secrets, and pass off the criticism levelled by his fellow theorists, such as Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, as mere jealousy. At the same time we completely ignore the astronomical contributions of Mohammad Abdus Salam, the first Nobel Prize winner of Pakistani origin in physics, who was forced to leave the country because he was part of the Ahmadiyya Community. Even in death, we allowed him no peace, where through court orders, the epitaph on his tomb in Pakistan was edited to remove the word ‘Muslim’ from, ‘First Muslim Nobel Laureate’. Somewhat amusingly, this changed the overall meaning of the text on his tomb to first 'Nobel Laureate ever', which is obviously incorrect. Then, there is the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, whom we support without question. Let’s ignore the forensic evidence against her, as well the bomb manufacturing documents found in her possession, because let’s admit it, in the age of Edward Snowden, nothing can be taken at face value. But what of the testimonial to The News from her own ex-husband? Anesthesiologist Dr Amjad Mohammed Khan, divorced Aafia because he found her to be violent, manipulative, and on the path to terrorism,

“I was aware of Aafia’s violent personality and extremist views and suspected her involvement in Jihadi activities.”

“I feared Aafia might pursue her political ambitions to the detriment of our children’s welfare.”

“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”

“O Allah (SWT), I thank you because you have given me a new life and I am alive.”

“I was spared for a reason - to use my life for helping people.”

“If I win Nobel Peace Prize, it would be a great opportunity for me, but if I don’t get it, it’s not important because my goal is not to get Nobel Peace Prize, my goal is to get peace and my goal is to see the education of every child.”

Yesterday, social media was plastered, once again, with condemnations of Malala Yousafzai. It’s a regular thing. Every time Malala does something, be it a United Nations speech or meeting with the Queen of the UK or writing a book, she is condemned by armies of righteous Pakistanis, eager to explain why she’s getting all the attention. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Photo: Facebook[/caption] To combine all the ridiculous conspiracy theories: she is a clone of George W Bush who had an Israeli surrogate mother and was raised by a two RAW agents, who are men and in a gay relationship. This entire process was funded and supervised by Dick Cheney, who remains the secret head of the CIA. It’s all part of a plan devised by the Vatican to destroy Islam back in the 18th century. They were just waiting for drones to be invented! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="578"] Photo: Facebook[/caption] Ridiculous, I know. I’ve heard friends and colleagues talk about why these conspiracy theories are born. Jealousy? Pride? Religious extremism? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Photo: Facebook[/caption] I personally think it has much to do with the dire state Pakistanis find themselves in today after 66 years of independence. It’s hard to be living in a country where landowners are crushing peasants. The police is crushing the victim. The court is crushing the constitution. The government is crushing the constituents. The army is crushing the government. That’s been Pakistan’s case for decades. Recently, though, there’s a new player in town: the terrorists. And they are crushing everyone. https://twitter.com/aurAdil/status/386956735686406144 Under these circumstances, the common Pakistani - the aam aadmi - finds himself utterly powerless. What good is hard work when you can’t feed your kids? What good is feeding them when you can’t send them to school? What good is school when there are so few jobs? What good is a job when there’s no financial security? What good is financial security when there’s no physical security? It’s a hopeless circle of misery. https://twitter.com/alexpressed/status/356430618772516864 When you try to figure out why everything is falling apart, all you get is a bucket of blame that keeps getting passed around from the government to the judiciary to the army to the police to religious figures to… the bucket keeps getting passed around until it rests in “foreign hands”. They save everyone. You know why foreign hands are such convenient reason for all of Pakistan’s failures? Because even when you name them - napaak India, manhoos Israel or shaitaan USA - they don’t care. The accusation is simply too stupid for them to respond. Their silence out of amusement is taken as an admittance of guilt. The truth is far more depressing. India is leaving Pakistan way behind economically. America has bigger fish to fry. As for Israel, I know Israelis, who are into politics, security and foreign policy. I swear to everything I hold dear, I’ve not heard them utter the word “Pakistan” once. Not once, because Pakistan is not a threat to anyone except its own citizens. It would be a threat if it was a strong country. The “fort of Islam” is really a nation teetering on the brink that regularly has to be saved by the rest of the world. Yet, it’s the rest of the world’s fault that Pakistan is where it is now because unlike those with power in Pakistan, they aren’t on Pakistani TVs or newspapers passing the blame bucket. This creates an image in the minds of some Pakistanis that all of their country’s affairs are controlled by outsiders. It’s a lot easier to believe that there is no semblance of power left in Pakistan and have an answer – even if wrong – than remain frustrated without one. It gets much worse than that, though. This narrative has the power to destroy the soul of a Pakistani because it perpetuates that he and she too is personally powerless. That they cannot get to great heights in life on their own unless they get help from the India, Israel, USA, UK you name it. In comes Malala. She clearly got somewhere in life. She was brave. She stood up for her right. She didn’t get it, but she didn’t give up. She faced adversity and came out with a bullet wound on her head and a hero’s badge. But how?! How can she become a hero when everything is stacked up against her in Pakistan? That’s where the “foreign hands” narrative strikes hard. She can only be successful if she had them behind her. No, she didn’t succeed. She failed! Because if you accept that she succeeded, then the whole narrative of Pakistanis NOT being able to do something on their own falls apart. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Facebook[/caption] This is not about religion. It’s a heartbreaking tale of personal failure for many of these conspiracy theorists. It’s not jealousy. It’s about not being able to find answers for why Pakistan is failing; why Pakistanis are failing. Pakistanis are not alone in believing them. You’ll find many of these conspiracy theorists across the developing world with their own versions of how the “foreign hands” are the root cause of their personal failures. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Photo: Facebook[/caption] It’s a bit like Devdas, where no matter how many Chandramukhis try to console the embittered Dev with reason and rational explanations, he can’t stop destroying himself and doubting her because Paro - success in this case - is as elusive as ever. Pakistan can be successful. Pakistanis can succeed. But first, this self-defeating narrative of “we can’t do anything on our own!” has to be discarded.

Interviewer (I): Assalamu alaykum. My name is Sanjay. Patriot (P): Sanjay? Are you Indian? I: No, I’m Pakistani. P: How come? I: Well I was born and raised here. P: However, people of your belief are born and raised in India. Sanjay Dutt is an example. I: A large number of people of my belief live in Pakistan as well. Seen the white in our flag? P: Oh. That’s Odd. I: What do you think about Pakistan? P: I love my country. It’s a great country to live in. I: What do you like about Pakistan? P: I know the funded media is trying its best to ruin Pakistan’s image, but we need to be positive and see the bright side. We need to look at people like Begum Ali Moeen Nawazish Ali and Agha Waqar who are the true representatives of the country. I: Agha Waqar? The guy who said he could run cars with water? P: Yes, him. Unfortunately the diesel mafia got the better of him. I: And what about Malala Yousufzai? P: Do you see any scars on her head? I: But you do agree that terrorism is a problem, right? P: Terrorism is a hoax created by the West. I: But people are actually dying because of attacks. P: Drones. Besides, all of us have to eventually die anyway. I: What about the drones? P: If you stop the drones, it will stop terrorism. Injustice leads to more injustice. I: So if we stop the drones, people will stop getting killed altogether? P: Not altogether. The rest are being killed by *ahem* *ahem*, foreign agents. Didn’t you see the dragon tattoo on the back of a terrorist who was once killed? I: But that was just one terrorist. Many more have being caught. P: And how many of them have been stripped to check for tattoos? I: I’m not exactly sure. P: See? I: So how do we stop these foreign agents? P: By having a government that is not installed by the West. I: Why does the West have control over who rules Pakistan? P: Because it is scared of us. I: What exactly is it scared of? P: Our atom bomb. I: So because the West is scared of us, it ends up indirectly ruling us? P: Sounds legit. It also funds our media to destruct the image of Pakistan. Instead of showing lofty mountains, it shows the people dying from snake-bites! I: You mean the mountains where tourists were recently killed? P: Foreign hand. Besides, the number of tourists killed is a lot less when compared to the total number of tourists visiting the mountains. You need to think more positively. I: Well, positively speaking, how will we get out of this mess? P: Through a revolution. I: And how will the revolution come? P: A leader will rise from amongst the common man. The nation will march behind him to Islamabad and will overthrow the corrupt government and then everything will be alright. Next we will march to Kashmir and make it a part of Pakistan once and for all! I: Someone like Colonel Sanders perhaps? P: No he stays inside a container and is a dual national; clear signs of being a foreign agent. The big hat is also fishy. I: How will everything become alright once the government is overthrown? P: That’s the leader’s headache. I don’t look like one, do I? I: I wouldn’t think so. What are your views about load-shedding? P: It can be solved if the government pays attention to it. I: How about the public start paying their bills for a change? P: You need to understand that it is very difficult in this age of inflation. I: What has caused the inflation? P: IMF funds. It is again Western conspiracy to make us beggars. I: Do you pay your taxes? P: I don’t pay taxes because the government is corrupt. I don’t want to pay taxes to government officials who take their salaries from the West. *PHONE RINGS* I: Is that an iPhone I see in your hand? P: Oh yes! My new iPhone 4S. Cool, isn’t it? I: Very cool. As a Pakistani I am concerned about what is happening in Balochistan. Do you remember East Pakistan? P: What’s that? I: Bangladesh? P: Yes, what about it? I: 1971? Civil war? P: Oh! Yes, that.  India. It was India all along. I: What about India? P: Please don’t mind me saying, but India funded the entire rebellion. I: Why was there rebellion in the first place? P: Bollywood. Our brothers’ minds were corrupted because of Indian movies. I: I guess we should end this conversation here now. P: I am sorry if I sounded a bit harsh. Hope you see the right path soon.

Have you heard of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi? Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi was a 14-year-old Iraqi girl who lived in a house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. She lived a middle-class life with her 34-year-old mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin, 45-year-old father Qasim Hamza Raheem, two brothers and younger sister, six-year-old Hadeel Qasim Hamza. Though not much is known about Abeer, one can imagine her childhood; playing with rag dolls, following her mother as she made khameeri rotis and tossing one pebble after another in a stream running near their house. When the US invasion of Iraq took place, Abeer’s father continued to permit his sons to attend school but kept Abeer home due to security concerns. Neighbours later recalled that she wasn’t allowed to do much other than assist her mother in the chores and tend to their vegetable garden. Their house was only 200 meters away from a US traffic checkpoint, and the neighbours later remarked that they often observed the soldiers watching Abeer and smiling at her. One of her brothers stated that during a search of the house, a US soldier ran his finger down Abeer’s cheek. On another occasion, her mother told her relatives that she had seen the soldiers giving the thumbs up signs to Abeer. On March 12, 2006, five soldiers walked to Abeer’s house, and separated her from her family. They shot the parents and sister dead, and proceeded to rape Abeer before killing her. They then burnt the house down, and pretended that Sunnis had set off the fire. Later on, the crime was uncovered and the perpetrators arrested. The mastermind of the crime admitted on record that he didn’t think Iraqis were humans. Abeer was going to school before the US invasion but had to stop going because of her father’s concerns for her safety. She probably had high hopes of studying and becoming a professional. Her father’s commitment to education is evidenced by the fact that he insisted his sons continue going to school even after the invasion had begun. Abeer wanted to study and wanted to go to school but was stopped from doing so by men with another agenda. Does her story sound familiar? Malala wanted to study, wanted to go to school but was stopped from doing so by men with another agenda. Both suffered, but while Malala was picked up by the West as a champion against the Taliban, Abeer’s story was erased out of history books. Where Western journalists took pains to write Malala’s story in detail, invite her to receptions, give her awards, even help her write a book, the story of another girl yearning for an education was discussed nowhere. I don’t want to take the spotlight off of Malala. She is a brave girl and one we are all proud off. Her eloquence, innocence and valour are all admirable. But while applauding her stance, we need to wonder why Malala has been made a hero and Abeer’s story hasn’t even merited one front page story. Yes Malala is a hero. And a victim. But Abeer is no less. Why give the West the power to shape our narrative? Why not shape it ourselves.

NOTE: Most of these responses are inspired by real comments

A few days ago, a fierce verbal battle took place between the guests on a talk show called “On The Front” hosted by Kamran Shahid. The bone of contention was the book called ‘I am Malala’ authored by the 16-year-old herself. The guest speakers included, Orya Maqbool, Ansar Abbasi, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zafar Hilaly. [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16gzc6_pervaiz-hoodbhoy-left-the-show-after-horrible-fight-with-ansar-abbasi_news[/embed] With regards to the topic at hand, the conversation began with Orya Maqbool and Ansar Abbasi giving their view on the book. Highly sensationalised words were used by the two, and common ground was reached with Malala being framed as offensive towards Islam. Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy interjected stating that he had also read the book but did not find anything against Islam in her book as claimed by the other guests. He suspected either they had not read the book attentively or were deliberately trying to malign her. The past animosity between Dr Hoodbhoy and Ansar Abbasi fueled a debate that turned into an ugly verbal brawl on national television, with insensitive comments being exchanged by both parties. Meanwhile, Orya yelled out, rather loudly I might add, appealing to the audience to open the book in question and confirm from page 30 that Malala had written these words,

“He (Salman Rushdie) has [sic] all the right under freedom of expression, but my father said that we should write a book against him.”

“My father also saw the book as offensive to Islam but believes strongly in freedom of speech. ‘First, let’s read the book and then why not respond with our own book,’ he suggested.”

“Now we are a country of 180 million and more than 96 per cent are Muslim. We also have around two million Christians and more than two million Ahmadis, who say they are Muslims though our government says they are not. Sadly those minority communities are often attacked. [2]”

“Aik aisay jaahil ko, jis ko parhaanay kay ooper lagaya huva hai hamaray aik prime institution main. Mujhay nahi samajh aati ye jaahil waha’n kiya parhaata hoga.” (“An ignoramus who has been chosen to teach at one of our prime institutions, I don’t understand what this ignoramus teaches there.”)

Jon Stewart was not wrong when in his late night The Daily Show, he offered to adopt Malala Yousafzai. He was highly impressed by this child’s advocacy for education and  for him, it looked like a great deal.  It’s easier to raise a precocious child who is adamant to educate herself even after being persecuted by evil forces, as compared to many other kids in the US who play hooky on attending school.  [embed width="620"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15s5ky_watch-16-year-old-malala-yousafzai-leave-jon-stewart-speechless_news[/embed] However, Stewart did not know that his ‘adoption wish’ might come in handy for the brave girl. As the dust will settle in and normalcy will prevail, the question on Malala’s future of returning home will loom large. Will Malala ever go back to the paradise of Mingora, Swat, to lead a routine life again? The realistic school of thought, based on the string of hard facts, reduces such probability to a negative. One can argue that Malala would choose to go into permanent exile. The people who killed Benazir Bhutto and who also pose threats to the life of Asma Jehangir, will not allow this 16-year-old girl to live safely in Pakistan. This intelligent crusader for education is neglected by the country she was born in. Pakistan could not even provide Malala with her right to security. There is no foul name on earth left which hasn't been used to malign her image in Pakistan. Malala has been called a traitor, an agent of the West and even a prostitute by those who were assigned to protect her! The YouTube propaganda against her spews venom everywhere. Even, the chief minister of Punjab used a few derogatory remarks for the abandoned child. No one wants Malala in her own land; in Pakistan she is discarded as a piece of dirt. No one is vouching to protect her against another attack by the goons of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), if she ever decides to settle in her homeland. Pakistan is in a state of denial. The growing cesspool of militancy and terrorism has gulped Malala’s passion for education. The only crime the innocent teenager committed was to pose a threat to the ideology of the Taliban by challenging the norms of patriarchy. She demanded to get the basic right of education to enlighten herself and other female pupils in her city. And what did she get in return? A bullet to her head. United Kingdom was kind enough to open its arms for Malala where she has been residing ever since. This is what happens when a country cannot protect its citizens and fails to provide basic amenities. People migrate to places with better governance and security. Canada, the destination of millions of immigrants, has invariably offered honorary citizenship to Malala. Why wouldn’t Malala and her family accept the gift of a Canadian citizenship – a country based on the Charter of Rights and Freedom and where all are equal no matter if one is Sunni, Shia, Ahmedi or Ismaili? Canada has hundreds of mosques representing various sects of Islam. Everyone offers their prayers peacefully. In Canada, unemployed are paid and rich are heavily taxed. No life is lost if one cannot afford to pay healthcare bills. The neglected child of the East is better off living in Canada, a country where education is free for all girls and boys – where no threat is posed against her by any bearded Taliban and his gun.