Of Malala and Farzana

The tale of a ‘fighter’ no one knows about

The Time magazine announced its person of the year results on Wednesday, December 19. The number two spot on the list went to Malala Yousafzai, the famed teen education activist who shot to fame for speaking up against the Taliban for discouraging girls’ education and who shot to international fame after surviving a gruesome attack by the very forces she chose to differ with.

TV anchors who broke the news were seen crying on national TV while narrating the horrific saga, while the entire nation, rightfully, stood up in arms against the barbarians, and called for the strongest possible action against them.

Condemnation of the attack and messages of praise for Malala, who Time hailed as a “fighter”, poured in from across the world.

Locally, lawmakers minced no words while castigating the Taliban, vigils were held everywhere, and by everyone, and the girl was eventually declared a “daughter of the nation” by a unanimous resolution passed by the National Assembly.

After initial treatment in Pakistan, Malala was flown to the United Kingdom and is being treated there on state expense ever since.

Her family was flown in to meet her, and her father eventually landed a job with the UN, named the Special Adviser on Global Education.

The Awami National Party, ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Malala was attacked, was seen at the forefront of the campaign to hail Malala and her efforts.

The province’s Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain had admired Malala Yousafzai’s campaign for the promotion of peace and education and said any harm drawing near her would be thwarted. He had also announced a Rs 10 million reward for anyone who identified the terrorists who attacked Malala.

Though the story is a heart-wrenching tale and a sure-fire movie hit, there occurred an even grave incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that somewhat balances out the “Malala effect”.

The teen education activist was 14 years old when attacked. The same age as a volunteer of the recent violence-marred anti-polio drive, Farzana, who was among the six polio workers killed in attacks on the second day of the three-day anti-polio drive across the country.

Farzana’s courage was somewhat gigantic. She went out to immunise children on Tuesday, December 18, the same day five polio campaign volunteers had already been targeted and killed in Karachi. She became the sixth victim that day.

Her family mourned alone. No consolation, no condolence came from anyone.

No one praised Farzana’s courage. No one thought of making her the daughter of the nation. And no one vowed to keep her mourning family out of harm’s way.

Rather, no one even knows, or cares, who Farzana was, what she was doing and if she had even been killed.

Why? Because nobody made the people realise it was the way they should be feeling or reacting. No one said feeling sorry for Farzana and her family was “the right thing” to do.

No news anchor had tears in her eyes while narrating Farzana’s death. Vigils were held by nobody and nowhere. Assemblies, lawmakers – all remained missing in action.

Even more baffling was the stance of Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the KP information minister, who, and his party, had went out of the way to garner backing for Malala.

Speaking in the KP Assembly on Wednesday, a day after Farzana’s killing, Mian Iftikhar Hussain casually said Farzana’s assassination had nothing to do with the attacks on polio teams, but a result of family dispute. Farzana’s father Saeed Rahman denied the charge.

The same day, Malala was named the number two on Time magazine’s person of the year list for her “fight”.

No one can imagine how Mr Saeed Rahman might have felt over the award to Malala a few hours after he buried his own daughter.

Farzana was killed fighting for an equally, rather more important, opportunity for human beings. The right to an able, healthy body. Education comes much later.

But it can be safely said that Mr Saeed Rahman would not be getting a job at the UN for promoting the cause of polio workers, or educating people about the crippling disease. Nor would Farzana be declared the “daughter of the nation” or be named the ambassador for polio eradication in Pakistan in place of Aseefa Bhutto, sister of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who following the attack on Malala, with tears in his eyes, had said, “Today, my sister was attacked”.

That’s Pakistan for you.

Farzana, God be with you, child!

The writer is an assistant news editor at Pakistan Today, and can be reached at [email protected]