The culture of denial is so pervasive and prevalent in Pakistani politics that the government is now unable to govern the tribal areas. That much was clear yesterday when the Pakistani Taliban shot 14 year-old Malala Yousufzai in the tribal province of Swat as she walked home from school. Yousufzai is a prominent campaigner against religious extremism and promotes women’s rights, including their access to education.
‘She was pro-West, she was speaking against Taliban and she was calling President Obama her idol’, a spokesman for the Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said when claiming responsibility for the attack. ‘She was young but she was promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas’.
When Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani presented Yousufzai with an award for bravery last December her courage was rightly lauded. Yet no one asked who it was that would intimidate a young teenager so much that her defiance demanded national recognition? What group would make things so unbearable that a teenager has to take it upon herself to campaign for the right to an education? Such inconveniences were cast aside as Gilani posed, proud and punctilious, during Yousufzai’s sparkling award ceremony.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in