The cowardly shooting of 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai by the Taliban is abominable. While Malala’s condition remains critical after doctors removed a bullet from her head, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, that justified the attack on grounds that she preached secularism and “so-called enlightened moderation” deserves more than just condemnation.
Targeting Malala, who shot to the limelight after the government awarded her the country’s first National Peace Award for courageously documenting the Taliban’s reign of terror in Swat, was done to deter other girls from obtaining an education.
What security does the state provide Malala or girls in Swat and other areas where the extremist threat is more pronounced? Her plea to deny support to such ideological extremists who specifically suppress women obviously didn’t go down well with the Taliban. It was the government’s responsibility to provide Malala that security in the first place, knowing she would be a key target.
The incident should serve as a reminder to tighten security and hunt down militant cells that are obviously still thriving.
