Female Radio Journalists in FATA

Whether it’s the flogging of a woman in tribal areas of Pakistan or destruction of schools providing education to girls in Swat, the issue of women’s right has remained central to the anti-Taliban campaign. The counter-terrorism campaign, strengthening of national democratic institutions, drive for gender-equality and efforts at cultural contextualization are over-lapping in contemporary Pakistan. A recent report in the Dawn on female journalists in FATA epitomizes this unique struggle in Pakistan. The Dawn article entitled “Women in FATA find a Voice” highlights the aspirations and struggles of three women hired as radio journalists by Radio Khyber.

[Dawn: June 30, 2009]

Here is an excerpt from the report:
Asma rushes around with a minidisc recorder. She has to finish editing a news bulletin and make it back to her home in Nowshera before it gets dark. ‘If I don’t get the bulletin done in time for this evening’s show, the station won’t let me continue as a radio journalist,’ she says. ‘But if I don’t get home on time, then my parents won’t let me continue working either.’
Asma is one of 15 reporters for Radio Khyber, a Jamrud-based FM radio station, and one of the few legal media outlets in Pakistan’s tribal belt. The station, which is supported by the Fata Secretariat, aims to counter the extremist, pro-jihad and anti-West programming that is typical of dozens of illegal radio stations run by hard-line clerics throughout the tribal agencies.
What is particularly remarkable about Radio Khyber, though, is that it employs three women as radio journalists. Given that women in the tribal belt do not have as many job opportunities as their counterparts in settled areas or major cities, the option to work for Radio Khyber is invaluable. But the symbolic value of these women’s participation in the station is even more important.
According to Aurangzaib Khan, the manager of Media Development at Internews Pakistan – a non-profit organisation that trains radio journalists – it is highly unusual to have women’s voices on the airwaves in Fata. ‘People in the tribal areas don’t like it if their women call in to radio shows. They think it is shameful if their voices are broadcast on air because the radio goes to the public,’ adds Tayyab, Radio Khyber’s news editor. In fact, when women call the station to request songs or ask questions during a talk show, their queries are broadcast on air under men’s names.�
In this context, Asma and her female colleagues’ determination to be radio journalists is admirable. But it also means that they have had to defy their families to pursue the career of their choice. For example, Kulsoom, a radio journalist from Quetta who is temporarily based in Peshawar to work with Radio Khyber, says that her parents and brother strongly disapprove of strange men hearing her voice on air. ‘But I wanted to do something unique,’ she says. ‘I’m the first Pathan girl from Balochistan who has come into the media.’
Between them, Asma, Andaleeb and Kulsoom have submitted news bulletins on traffic, health issues, imprisoned children, taxation, strikes, the plight of internally displaced persons, military operations against militants in Khyber Agency and more. As such, they comprise an integral part of Radio Khyber’s reporting team, the most vital wing of the station.
Pakistan can be blamed and criticized for countless crisis but developments such as these reflect the resilience of the Pakistani citizens. The contribution of individuals like Asma, Analeeb and Kulsoom on the social frontlines of the on-going counter-terrorism campaign is no less significant from those struggling on the military frontlines. The military campaign can only secure strategic victories for Pakistan; sustainability of holistic reforms will be determined by struggles in the social domain.