Turning on the TV, we find either BBC News, Geo News, or any Pakistani channel obsessed with playing the news related to Malala. On social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and many others, we come across the question: Is Malala the real daughter of Pakistan or Arfa?

Let’s find out more about Malala Yousafzai and others like her in this article.

A Glimpse of Malala’s Story

Malala Yousafzai, a girl with lots of ambition, at times used to be an ordinary girl. She was born in Mingora, Swat. She became a victim of a Taliban attack by the Taliban. She very well knows how to make her feelings heard. Initially, she wrote under a pseudonym. Her diary speaks of the events or happenings going on in Swat.

Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as she raised her voice against the suppression of female education. She became the youngest recipient of this honorary award.

Who are the other Malalas?

It is a controversial debate to ask what the difference is between Malala Yousafzai and other Malalas? Let’s acknowledge the other gems too! Other Malalas are those gems of our society who are being neglected and considered a minimal role in society like Naseem Hameed, famous athlete of Pakistan), Zubaida Tariq(social worker and renowned cook), Arfa Karim( Microsoft certified professional), Ali Moen Nawazish(Topper of A levels), Aitzaz Hassan, Babar Iqbal and many more. Some of these are:

Zubaida Jalal

Zubaida Jalal was the education minister in General Musharraf’s regime. She was murdered just because she raised her voice against the suppression of female education. Nobody knows how and when she was killed. The incident of her ambiguous death points to the piteous state of law and justice prevalent in our nation.

Students of Sardar Bahadur Khan University

Some students of Sardar Bahadur Khan University, Quetta, were targeted by separatist terrorists on June 15, 2013. A series of bombings and sieges took place, leaving 26 dead and several injured.

Abdul Sattar Edhi

Abdul Sattar Edhi devoted his life to orphans, widows, needy, and poor people. His philanthropic work for the up-liftment of the down-trodden deserves a Nobel Prize just like Malala.

Arfa Karim

Arfa Karim was a certified Microsoft professional. She remained a cancer patient for many years. Bill Gates offered her full treatment, but she denied it and proved to be a fundamentalist.

Aitzaz Hassan

He saved the whole humanity from ruthless terrorists by fighting with terrorists’ nasty armed body to save his school children.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

She is the first and only Pakistani film-maker to win an Oscar. She won the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2005 for her documentary ‘Reinventing the Taliban’

Kainat

Kainat showed immense courage in the face of physical and mental injury. At 12, she was kidnapped, raped and kept hostage for three days. She managed to escape the rapists and reached her home. Sadly, she was not allowed to file a police complaint. Her family and Kainat had to go on a 19-day hunger strike until the police accepted her report.  Her brothers were kidnapped and murdered as a result of her voice. She was forced to leave her native place, and even 10 years later, she is living under police protection. She has challenged the system and refused to hide. She has resumed her education. But, the rapists are yet to be convicted.

Attiya Inayatullah

Attiya Inayatullah was the Federal Minister for Women’s Development. She is known for a reform that she pushed for in 2002. This reform reserves 60 seats out of 342 for females in Pakistan’s National Assembly. She worked for this reform because Pakistani politics is filled with men. It is a world of money, muscle, and manipulation. This reform has given courage to the younger generations and inculcated the value of equal human rights in all.

Beyond the Spotlight: Pakistan’s Unsung Heroes and Their Silent Struggles

While Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize brought the world’s attention to the crisis of education in Pakistan, many more Pakistani heroes are fighting similar crusades, unknown to the world. These unsung heroes are no less deserving of praise for their extraordinary bravery and service to humanity.

The Forgotten Martyrs also consist of individuals such as Zubaida Jalal, General Musharraf’s education minister, who was assassinated in a mysterious attack for promoting the education of women. Her assassination proves Pakistan is unsafe for women activists. The 26 students assassinated at Sardar Bahadur Khan University in Quetta are just one of thousands of victims of educational terrorism that seldom get international notice.

Living Legends like Abdul Sattar Edhi dedicated their entire lives to serving humanity without seeking fame. His charity kingdom working for orphans, widows, and the poor arguably warranted Nobel recognition. Arfa Karim, the youngest Microsoft-certified professional, demonstrated Pakistani youth’s technological capacity before her premature death from cancer. Her turn-down of Bill Gates’ offer of treatment was an act of high-principled conviction.

Quiet Warriors such as Kainat suffered atrocious abuse in the pursuit of justice through the court system. Her hunger strike for 19 days to make a complaint to the police and the subsequent murder of her brothers in retribution illustrate the personal price of demanding justice in Pakistan. Living for more than a decade under police protection, she still pursues her studies and refuses to be silenced.

Systemic Change makers such as Attiya Inayatullah changed Pakistani politics by winning 60 women’s reserved seats in the National Assembly. The legislative victory made it easier for future women politicians to break into a male-dominated system.

They are the authentic voices of Pakistan’s spirit of reform and resistance. As Malala’s story captivated global audiences, they fight the very same battles in Pakistan’s complex social fabric. Their stories inform us that social change requires both global icons and local heroes working together to create enduring change in Pakistani society.

True Gems Save the Day.

Malala Yousafzai represents Pakistani female protagonists on the global stage. She has brought forward many questions to the state of education, terrorism and its state funding, the state of law and order in Pakistan. But, she is not the only or first female to bring these issues into the limelight. Many others like her are working for noble causes like education, the eradication of poverty, equal human rights, etc. They deserve equal applause and recognition from the entire world.

Do you agree with us?