This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Thank You All for Supporting Malala

Thank you Madonna for beating the drum for Malala Yousafzai. You have delivered a strong message to all celebrities across the world that they have to come out of their cozy lives and needed to be well informed as you are. Thank you Madonna for saying the words, "Support education! Support women!"
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
A Pakistani woman, right, holds a poster of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot on Tuesday by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women, during a candlelight vigil in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. A Pakistani military spokesman says Yousufzai is in
AP
A Pakistani woman, right, holds a poster of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot on Tuesday by the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women, during a candlelight vigil in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. A Pakistani military spokesman says Yousufzai is in

Thank you Madonna for beating the drum for Malala Yousafzai. You have delivered a strong message to all celebrities across the world that they have to come out of their cozy lives and needed to be well informed as you are. Thank you Madonna for saying the words, "Support education! Support women!"

You have shown your concern when you stated to your fans in LA, "The 14-year-old schoolgirl who wrote a blog about going to school. The Taliban stopped her bus and shot her. Do you realise how sick that is."

However, Taliban are spinning your support for Malala into their medieval Islamic literalist interpretation that Malala's name embossed on your back is a sinful support for Malala. These medieval creatures can't understand womanhood in a human society. So please Madonna keep creating and working on the need of education across the globe and keep beating the drum for Malala. Thank you again!

Thank you Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army for strongly condemning the act of terrorism. As you have delivered the words while visiting Malala Yousafzai in Peshawar Hospital,"the cowards who attacked Malala and her fellow students have time and again shown how little regard they have for human life and how low they can stoop to impose their twisted ideology."

But Mr. Kayani, are you really interested to eliminate Taliban and all sorts of Lashker-e-Mujaheen that have been created by Pakistan army for so long? Are you really interested to diminish Taliban alike because they are considered '"Strategic Assets" of Pakistan army?

It seems that even Pak Army is divided in terms of dealing Taliban. Some Generals like yourself might be interested to tackle Taliban but many still consider Taliban as their Strategic Assets. The evidences, from Osama Bin Laden's hideouts to Taliban's attacks on NATO forces and Lashker-e-Taiba's sectarian violence to international terrorism, are not supportive of Pakistan army's sincerity towards curbing Taliban factors.

Dear Mr. Kayani, Taliban and other religious extremists in Pakistan can never be pushed to the wall as long as Pakistan army doesn't change her typical mindset regarding so called Strategic Assets. The choice is completely in your armed forces' hands that whether they want to take the nation back to stone ages by considering Taliban as "assets of the country'"or want to live in 21st Century.

Thank you President Zardari and other politicians in Pakistan for condemning Malala attack. But you all have to determine the future of this ailing nation. You have to decide whether you want to stay in political circuses all the time or you have guts to appear as statespersons as well. If staying in political circuses is your priority then don't waste more time. Pakistan is already like a big circus. But please act as statesperson now and separate religion from state affairs. This is the only solution for Pakistan's complex problems.

Thank you President Obama for condemning Malala shooting as "disgusting". But Taliban and their supporters are blaming you for the bases of this attack because they say that Malala had shown her respect to you in her diary. Also they have somehow managed to divert people attention from their assassination attempt on Malala to the US drones strikes. They are making and circulating pictures of children who they claim are being killed by drone strikes.

Mr. President, Taliban supporters don't ask Taliban a question that did you attack Malala for the fact that the US drones are targeting you? What a pathetic co-relation! These supporters are not posing another question to Taliban that why are you taking innocent people as human shield?

Mr. President, please stop drones strike and tell Pakistan army very clearly that you would not help Pak army by facilitating drone strikes. And advise Pakistan army to deal their 'Strategic Assets' on their own and let these supporters to enjoy Taliban company. Thank you!

Thank you ordinary citizens of Pakistan! This is probably the first time you have stood against Taliban's atrocities. Please keep the momentum alive.

Thank you Britain for facilitating Malala Yousafzai's transfer from Pakistan to the UK. Please let her stay there.

Tahir Gora is a secular and progressive Pakistani-Canadian writer. Follow him at twitter @TahirGora

Vigil For Malala Yousufzai

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.