Is Malala changing the mindset

By Barrister Amjad Malik


Pakistan is in the news for malala yousafzai's nomination for Nobel peace prize, post her being shot and miraculous escape from death, a   5 years old Lahore resident minor's indecent assault without justice, and 5 sisters collectively suicide attempt jumping in the river for not having dowry to effect their marriages  in Punjab. These all are sad events depicting situation of women and overall societal mindset towards them. Girls are treated still as a burden, some sort of stigma with a duty attached to it in a largely male chevonist society of Pakistan where still women await to play their due national role as mothers of state.

Malala has ignited a debate whether our attitudes towards reality are faltering?. Our society ownership is lacking and whether we are reluctant to own a national duty?. Malala was shot, she could have been treated easily in one of the best facility in Pakistan by state, but, first why state & it's people  let her leave on stretcher to Birmingham. And once the west after hosting the kindness to the child now reaping its dividend, a few are crying wolf denying whether the incident ever happened and even if it did, the conspiracies behind. This factual denial is present in our national psyche and we all are looking for an excuse of a conspiracy theory to avoid being questioned about our national duty. My question is simple if a prime minister is shot will you send him to Birmingham to get treated. Well if that's the case half of the hospitals are full of Indian and Asian doctors , one just requires national respect & honour to give it a go. If we do not own up our duty, then we can't cry on our losses.


We have almost all the laws of the world present to tame us leading into a normal human life in Pakistan, and if we look at the yearly crime rate 10,000 rapes, 86000 robberies, and 56'000 murders excluding 40,000 fatalities as a result of our  part in an ongoing war on terror it tells the sad sorry tale of our respect for human lives, values , life and property of the people of Pakistan.

I think society in general needs to have a deep look at what's going on around them. Over 50% women form part of our national population but in some areas they can't vote. Never mind voting they are not allowed to come out of their homes, can't study, can't take employment and can't adopt pursuits of their interest or a career.

Education seems less of a priority in family and state mind as over 8 million children are believed to be out of schools where as they should be in schools. All governments were using school furniture and books as a slogan for political manipulation and free secondary school education and 'educated punjab' won a lot laurels for them, but once the aid is in the kitty, baboos started preparing next documentation to seek Aid on the name those poorer children out of education. The practice goes on and cruelty remains intact. Majority of rural governmental schools are without clean water , desks, computer, cooling or heating systems and toilet families. Same unprofessional deprived look we see in pakistani prison and police stations. I visited a prison in Punjab and was horrified to know that 700 prison inmates have no clean water , duty doctor or a duty solicitor and quarter of prisoners were either waiting to be tried or serving sentence for not affording to pay the requisite fine for stealing bicycle , food and were arrested for being at a wrong place at a wrong time.

Laws are present but dowry as a curse hinders the matrimony of many millions of a marriageable age youth . Poorer Girls are forced to either get married a Mismatch or digest someone twice their age. Race caste colour and financial status still rule the rural mindset and financial benefits the urban upper middle classes. Chaudharies still believe to be superior than lower castes . Female is treated as a property than an individual identity with traits & skills to be proud of.

We can arrest criminals but despite laws believe in settlement out of court. Muk muka culture has weakened our desire to have a fair trial with due process and an independent investigation and prosecution. That's is the very reason that Raymond Davis walks away our court ridiculing our society and laws showing us the true picture of our criminal justice system. If that was not enough a landlords son in sindh completed the remaining picture in shah zen murder episode.

Society talks a lot about corruption but never leaves taking and giving bribes to get their petty chores done from getting a passport to jump off the queue to pay our gas electricity and water bills. The whole country is suffering from power shortage and still power theft and non payment is the major cause of malfeasance in this sector.

In these circumstances malala yousafzai wishes to return to be the prime minister of Pakistan. I think the way we cheaply lost benazir Bhutto, and callously punished her father (Z.A.bhuttoo) that forces me to say, "you are v brave malala but very naive and young".
Pakistan's (late) Arita karim, Ali Moeen Nawazisj, and malala yousafzai must remain in Pakistan and must continue lighting the beacon of unity faith and discipline in our national life. I will prefer malal lives and lives in Pakistan than remaining abroad and deliver speeches. I wish retires in Pakistan and writes her autobiography depicting the developments pakistan made during her struggle for 'right to education'. We have to build ourselves as a nation to start looking into ourselves to see where we are wrong and how we can overcome our short comings. Problem is not whether extremist can overpower us or not, but challenge is can we drive our self with logic, factual accuracy, realistic approach and honesty to cause if yes then the same needs to be translated into our national mindset. Only then we can progress if our eyes looks at the disease and mind starts working to cure it than looking elsewhere to pin point the blame. Only our discipline to respect law can change the mindset to accept and move on working hard to turn this country a progressive peaceful and enlightened state keeping in mind the message of quaid e azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah 'unity, faith and discipline'. Let this miracle happen with which country was achieved and now it is required if the country was to reborn as respectable society in the community of nation than a crowd. I know you can do it if you accept the challenge only then we will know whether malala, sunbal and those girls who attempted suicide have changed any mind set or we are still as callous & senseless as we were before.