Recent attacks have shown that the battle for girls’ education in Pakistan is far from over, despite widespread optimism to the contrary. Two government schools were bombed last Sunday in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan, causing 500 female students to drop out of school. Since there aren’t any other nearby all-girls’ schools, these kids are out of luck.
While no one was killed in either of the attacks, a seven-year-old girl was killed and five female students and a teacher were injured when a police officer positioned outside of a private school in the Sangota district of Swat opened fire. These incidents represent a new wave of threats to women and girls’ access to education.
Pakistan had experience extreme terrorist attacks on schools
The recent attacks have brought back painful memories of the 2014 attack on Army Public School and the 2018 attacks on girls’ schools. Many households will be forced to remove their children from school once more for reasons of security. Due to the actions of a minority, thousands of female students in Waziristan and the surrounding areas will be denied access to school and the chance to better their futures. Several members of law enforcement have been killed by terrorists in recent weeks.
Pakistan is losing ground in its struggle against terrorist movements, as evidenced by the increasing frequency of these attacks. The country’s efforts to root out terrorist groups would take a serious hit, and Pakistan’s overall development will be stymied as a result.
Clearly, more work is required to eliminate the causes of such movements against girls’ education. More conversations and sacrifices are needed to resolve this problem. The government should move quickly to ensure that all children, regardless of their gender, are able to attend school.
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