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The return of TTP and the future of education in Pakistan

Writer's picture: Iman AsifIman Asif

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or more commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban is a militant organization operating in Pakistan. The organization claims to represent Islam and work against people and ideologies that do not align with their idea of Islamic principles. The organization holds extremist views that see education as a means to divert the masses from the truth to lead them astray. According to them, the mainstream education system is just western education or agenda and is completely unnecessary. They are especially against girls' education which they consider un-Islamic. TTP has been known to oppose western education and has often resorted to violence.


TTP's hatred towards female education became evident when on 9th October 2012, two young gunmen from the organization stopped a school van and shot a 15-year-old girl Malala who was known to advocate for girls' education in Swat. This is the story of one of the many girls whose education suffered as a result of TTP's extremist ideologies and violent tendencies.

Another such incident that highlights TTP's atrocities is the attack carried out on The Army Public School Peshawar on 16th December 2014. The militant organization's armed men stormed into the school killing more than 150 people majority of which were children, leaving several injured and traumatized.


These violent incidents are some of the many examples proving that TTP is a threat to education in the country.


On Monday, 28th November, TTP called out the ceasefire that was agreed upon in June with the government of Pakistan. They also openly announced that they will be carrying out attacks. While this means the peace of the country and the political situation is uncertain, the impact it will have on education cannot be overlooked. With the return of TTP, the future of education in Pakistan, especially female education becomes a question mark.


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Afiya Qureshi
Dec 10, 2022

this is an interesting post! but what also needs to be addressed, in my opinion, are the efforts made by the state to curb this issue. how could they let such a big region of Pakistan go into the hands of a terrorist organization? this meant compromising the nation's sovereignty, which is unacceptable with such enormous armed forces. the interests and past actions of the state can be pointed out as reasons why the state has not been actively doing something about this issue. but even if we leave what has happened in the past and talk about what should be the case in the future and how should the education of women be safeguarded, active enforcement of the law…

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Maha Waheed
Maha Waheed
Dec 10, 2022

Let's look into what's going on across the border in Afghanistan Since young girls are no longer allowed to continue their education. Many families are already marrying off youngsters to shift their financial support to husbands. Women's rights, position, and place in society have been violated, undermining their ability to perform their traditional duties. The exclusion of women from all spheres of society under the guise of religion would occur if the prohibition on females attending high school became permanent. The Taliban have permitted certain female public officials, nurses, physicians, and teachers to continue their jobs. However, without higher education, there won't be enough educated women to fill these occupations. Also, now women are allowed to choose specific subjects in…

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Thank you for bringing this to light! With young girls blocked from continuing their education, many families are already marrying off teenagers to shift their support to husbands. Women’s roles have been undermined and women are being deprived of their dignity, rights and status at home and in the society. If the ban on girls’ high school education becomes permanent, it would eventually exclude women from all sectors of the society under the cover of religion. The Taliban have allowed female teachers, nurses, doctors, and some civil servants to continue working. But without receiving higher education the pipeline of educated women to fill these jobs will run dry.

The absence of any compromise toward girls’ education has had material consequences…


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Sara Rehman
Dec 10, 2022

This feeling is shared across the border. Despite international pressure, the Taliban in Afghanistan has prohibited young females from attending school in the majority of the country's regions. The Taliban permitted boys to return to school but ordered that most older females remain at home until circumstances improved. The action essentially prohibits females from completing secondary school and follows the regime's gender policy.


The TTP's return is nothing less than a nightmare for the people of Swat. The latest acts of violence should serve as a wake-up call to Pakistani authorities, who must take all necessary efforts to firmly restore the state's authority against the swelling tide of insurgency in the valley.


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A decade on from the TTP’s brutal attack on Malala Yousafzai, history appears to be repeating itself. It makes you question, what has changed over the decade?

For the residents of Swat, the TTP's return is nothing short of a nightmare. The authorities for turning a blind eye to the terrorists' comeback is another target of the demonstrators' rage. The people of Swat don't want the Taliban to return because they think it will have an impact on all aspects of their lives, including their children's schooling.

The last time TTP were present, it took a heavy toll on locals, killing thousands of civilians, uprooting millions, and causing widescale displacement. As of June 2013, there were 1.1 million registered Internally…


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