IN Pakistan fatherless daughters walk with a target pinned to their backs. No male guardian leaves them unprotected from the eyes of the men who surround them. In a recent heart-breaking case of the cruelty of this truth, a nine-year-old girl named Ishmal was shot dead.

Ishmal lived in upper Swat. She was the youngest of six children who were all left orphans when their father passed away. According to family accounts and police reports, Ishmal went to school as usual on Sept 9, 2026. When she came home, she changed out of her school uniform and went to a neighbour’s house (she reportedly often did this). According to media reports citing the police complaint, not long after she had left her home, her sister heard screams and then gunshots. When the sister rushed to the neighbour’s house, she saw Ishmal lying on the floor covered in blood. The man who would turn out to be the accused in this case was seen going into a room.

Family members and neighbours rushed to help, and Ishmal was taken to the hospital. Ishmal died on the way to the hospital or shortly after getting there. The investigation revealed that she had been allegedly sexually assaulted, shot........

© Dawn