There have been for about 10 years Pakistan had been facing the terrorism from the Al-Quaida and its sub-group Taliban. As per the record, about 40,000 people have already become the victims of the terrorism. In other words, attacks at civilians as well as on the personnel of law-enforcement agencies were not new for the people of Pakistan at all. However, the attack at the 14-years old girl Malala made it a matter of life and death for the Pakistani society.
Malala Yousufzai grew up in the Swat area with little access to educational resources, but she had an irrepressible passion for learning and literature. In January 2009, the Taliban issued an edict for banning all girls from schools. But, Malala wanted to get education in any case in order to dispel the dark clouds of ignorance from her society. She used to believe that she had the right of education.
The dark days of the Taliban rule in Swat during 2008-9 did not leave any positive impression on people especially on the young, but sensitive Malala. She did not accept the Taliban`s views as the true teachings of Islam. She did not agree to them at all. She started expressing her feelings in her personal dairy. She described how the Taliban prevented girls from going to school when they controlled the Swat Valley. The international media published the pages of her diary that made her popular. Everyone appreciated her vision and the courage against Taliban. She was given the first National Peace Award by the government of Pakistan for rendering courageous services to promote peace during the mayhem.
However, as soon as the international as well as the Pakistani media gave coverage to her, the Taliban took her for their enemy. They did not want to afford the Malala`s disobedience at all, nor were they in the mood to let her live her life as per her vision. In other words, instead of considering her an innocent girl having the basic right of freedom of expression, she was taken for an agent of the anti-Taliban forces especially America. They put her on their hit list and on October 9, this 14-year-old child rights activist was attacked along with her friends by the gunmen when she was on her way home from school. Malala was shot in the head and neck. Presently, she is being treated at the New Queen Elizabeth Hospital of England.
Actually, Malala Yousufzai had emerged as the symbol of knowledge which the Taliban wanted to suppress. But, the attack at Malala filled the people not only with the pain, but also the anger against the extremist Taliban. The Malala incident made the people realize that they would have to stand against the Taliban. So, people came out on the roads strongly condemning the cruel act.The entire nation came forward against the heartless killers.
They took the cowardly attack on Malala as the attack on the education and humanity. They thought it was an attack on the enlightened and bright face of their country too. All the moderate political as well as religious parties and other segments of the Pakistani society got united against the Taliban and their extremist supporters. All over the country, there was one voice shouting “No” to Taliban. This was a very loud and clear message to the whole world from the people of the Pakistanis. It became quite obvious that the majority of the Pakistanis were against the Taliban and whatever image of Islam, which such extremists were portraying, was altogether against its teachings.
Because of the rising voice of the people for Malala and also against Taliban, the world has realized that the Pakistani Muslims think quite differently from those of Taliban extremists, and this feeling would help to remove the distorted image of the Pakistan all over the world.
In fact, the people of Pakistan have already faced the loss of thousands of innocent human lives due to the extremists. Whatever they have come a cross is certainly like a night mare for them. Yet, they are raising their voice against the terrorists. Therefore, the international community needs to back them so that Taliban can be rooted out before it is too late. Otherwise, not only Pakistan, but also the whole world would keep receiving the similar threats from the Al-Quaid and Taliban groups. May God save the whole world from all sorts of terrorism…Aameen!
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