WUNRN
Women's Feature Service
India - New Delhi
By Zofeen T. Ebrahim
Peshawar (Women's Feature Service) - Armed with a mini-recorder and enveloped from head to toe in a 'chadar' (outer garment women in some Islamic societies wear as part of their adherence to 'purdah') with just her eyes showing, Asma Nawar's day begins on a different note every day.
If it is not reporting the price hike
during Ramadan (the holy month of fasting for Muslims), then it is informing
her listeners about the quality of education or the transport problems as she
combs through the city of Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province
(NWFP). Working for Radio Khyber, a Jamrud-based FM radio station, in the
Khyber Agency, Nawar, 25, says, "I want to tell the rest of the women that
'purdah' should not deter them from pursuing their dreams."
Radio Khyber is among the four radio
stations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) started by the federal
government in 2006 to counter the militant's propaganda and stem their growing
influence in the region. While Khyber Radio is an FM channel, the other two -
Radio Razmak and Miran Shah Radio Station - are broadcast on medium wave (MW)
frequency from Miran Shah and Razmak, in
FATA, located between the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the settled areas of the NWFP, include six
other principalities, namely, Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, Kurram, North
Waziristan and
Rabia Akram Khan, 21, who has only
recently been employed by Khyber Radio, also wears a 'chadar', but does not
cover her face. "In our culture, the most a woman can work is at a school
or college as a teacher. But it is still preferred that they stay home,"
she says. Had it not been for the support of her father and her brother, Khan
says that she wouldn't be working today.
Once a peaceful area, one only hears of
drones, militant hideouts, poverty and death ever since the Taliban and the
Al-Qaeda entered FATA in 2001. No good news ever seems to emerge out of the
area. But now that the women's voices have hit the airwaves this is bound to
change.
However, for Nawar, the struggle has
just begun. She wants to shed the myths attached to the Pashtun culture.
"For instance, it is believed that women are not allowed to step out of
the homes, except to get education. I am a Pashtun and I have the full support
of my family," she says. She has big plans, too. "I want to be heard
all over
Nawar may not know this, but she and
two of her colleagues have not only broken age-old Pashtun stereotypes but they
have actually begun a women's movement, which may well have far reaching and
radical changes for Pakistan's tribal belt.
While they may just be conduits for
information for now, Jehanzeb Latif, director of the FATA Media Centre
Secretariat says that a giant step has been taken. "When women of the area
hear female voices, it is bound to have a positive impact on them and they,
too, will be encouraged to seek an occupation other than leading the
nondescript life of a housewife. But more than that, it will change the
perception of the men folk - that there is more to woman than just being
home-makers and that they need not be treated like mere livestock!"
However, all the three women work from
According to Aurangzaib Khan, who
trains radio reporters in
Continued Aurangzaib, "To get
women to report from
Tayyab Khan, a producer at Khyber
Radio, who has been with the organisation since it started, and who works from
Jamrud in the Khyber Agency, says, "It would be very difficult for women
to work here. Women's mobility is very restricted. It's just not acceptable
here." Agreed Aurangzaib, "It would have made the locals very
unhappy."
Kulsum Kakar, 22, knows that all too
well. She is working with Sachal Radio, in
Once in Khyber Radio, it took her
nearly two months to convince her father to allow her to move to
But Aurangzaib believes that for many
women journalists in other cities, these are just baby steps. But they are
significant given the tribal perspective. "I'd say these young ladies are
breaking the stereotype. They've actually had to defy traditions and that is
not easy!" he says.
According to him, these women are
paving the way for others and have cleverly surpassed multiple disadvantages -
of being women, belonging to the Pashtun society and coming from the less
developed part of the country. "I, for one, am pleasantly surprised,"
says Aurangzaib, adding that these women had even delved into stories around
conflict. "They have become fairly confident and even go out and
interview, say, the police head," he remarks.
However, having trained over a dozen
women, Aurangzaib finds it unfortunate that many leave once they get married,
"All the potential that I see comes crumbling down."
Kakar agrees, "While I was working
with Khyber Radio, three or four women joined, but left shortly afterwards to
get married. They never returned and are also not continuing with other radio
channels. While we somehow manage to convince our parents to allow us to work,
getting the same kind of encouragement after marriage is far more
difficult."
Aurangzaib hopes that women continue to
come into this field despite the challenges. "Women journalists add value
to a story. They look at a story from interesting angles. And in the extremely
segregated Pashtun society, it is an asset to have women in the field. For
instance, only women would be able to do stories on women's reproductive
health. For a man it would tantamount to infringing on the female space."
He also points out that being a woman
has its advantages, too, "It's probably easier for them to access these
important people, compared to their male counterparts. People cooperate more.
And they do all this behind the veil!"
However he also believes that there is
the danger of female reporters falling into the trap of doing only
gender-related stories, "That should not happen because it would undermine
their capabilities. These women are as capable as their male colleagues to tackle
any subject under the sun."
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