Pakistani girls celebrated International Womens Day

Pakistani girls celebrated International Womens Day today across the country. With the Taliban banning girls’ education in Swat Valley, this Womens Day holds special significance to the downtrodden girls of this country. While Pakistani girls in major cities like Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi live relatively liberal lives with improved access to education and health care, their counterparts in the mountainous regions of the North have little to celebrate.

The Taliban militia have imposed a barbaric rule in Swat Valley, banning mens’ haircuts and womens education in some areas. “These guys have misinterpreted Islam to suit their whims” says Sabiha Ahmed from Lahore. “Islam encourages womens’ education. While they claim to follow Islam, they are in fact the farthest from it”.

Pakistani Girls Condem Lahore Attacks

Pakistani girls from all over the country have written in to us expressing shock and outrage over the recent terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. It is obvious that the young people of Pakistan are especially concerned about the deteriorating law and order situation in the country as they feel that their future is at stake. “This was aimed at hitting Pakistan where it hurt the most” said college student Saima Karim from Karachi.

Mashal Khan from Peshawar said “At a difficult time like this, the terrorists wanted to show that Pakistan is hopeless. We must not allow this perception to hold”. Many young people believe that in order for Pakistan to succeed as a nation, all Pakistanis must come together to take a united stand against extremists. “Nobody should provide support to any fringe elements, as this kind of violence is what they stand for” said Nabeela Hasan from Islamabad.