KARACHI, Pakistan— Hina Khan, a school girl from Pakistan's Swat district who has publicly criticized the Taliban for their ban on women's education, has claimed that her life has been threatened by the Taliban and that the Pakistani government has taken no steps to provide for her and her family's safety.
Her family requested protection from the Pakistani government, following the attack onMalala Yousufzai, a 15-year-old girl who was shot in Swat while returning home from school, though the family says nothing has come of the repeated requests. Malala is currently recovering in a British hospital.
According to Al Jazeera English, a few days ago, Khan found a large a large red "X" painted on the gate of her Islamabad home, where she moved in 2006 after her education was threatened in Swat. Her father received a phone call the following day from a number in Peshawar that warned that Hina was next after Malala, reported Dawn.
"We have already been fighting death since many years when my wife started speaking for women rights and girls’ education," Raitullah said, Dawn reported.
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Hina's mother, Farhat, has been a vocal supporter of women's rights in the Swat region. In 2008, Farhat Khan spoke during a press conference at the National Press Club after threats against girls in school became the norm, raising her voice publicly to raise awareness about the girls attempting to go to school in Swat.
Khan is now concerned that her daughter not be able to complete her education in Islamabad either.
According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, Pakistan's government has consistently failed to protect its children, teachers, schools and rights activists from attacks by the Taliban and other militant organization. In 2012 thus far, there have been 96 schools attacked by militants in Pakistan. Most took place in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP), where Swat is located.