Forbidden play |
IN parts of our own country — particularly in the tribal regions —simply being a woman is an uphill battle — more so for girls who dare to dream beyond convention. Despite constitutional guarantees, many have had to fight relentlessly for something as basic as education. Now, as girls begin to demand the right to play sports, they once again find themselves challenging deeply entrenched patriarchal norms that seek to keep them out of public life.
For almost five years now, the world has consistently been condemning the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. Yet, even on this side of the border, some elements reflect a disturbingly similar mindset; they remain largely unnoticed and are seldom challenged.
Take the recent case of seven-year-old Aina Wazir, the street-cricket sensation from Shiga Zalwel Khel, a village along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in North Waziristan. A video clip of her playing cricket with children her age went viral with people praising her talent. The video caught the attention of Javed Afridi, chairman of Peshawar Zalmi, who invited the young girl to join the upcoming Zalmi Women League.
The happy story took an ominous turn when local extremists showed displeasure at the public display of a girl playing sports. They........