Pakistan: How Islamist militancy wrecked a tribal woman's life

Life is hard for Pakistan's tribal women. For Baswaliha, a 55-year-old widow, life became even more painful after she lost her son in 2009, and her husband in 2010 — both in terrorist attacks. Baswaliha lives in Galanai, a town in the tribal Mohmand district that shares a border with Afghanistan. The area was hit hard by the Taliban insurgency following the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.

Baswaliha's elder son, Imran khan, was killed by a local "peace committee" at the age of 23. Baswaliha told DW the anti-Taliban local group killed her son on suspicion of aiding terrorists. Operations by the Pakistani military brought relative peace to the area, but the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of NATO troops has raised fears of the Taliban's return.

Abdul Ghufran, Baswaliha's husband, died just a year later when two suicide bombers targeted a government building on December 6, 2010. She told DW that her husband went there to receive compensation money for his murdered son. Scores of people lost their lives in the attack. She says that a woman's life without a husband or another adult male is full of risks and dangers in the tribal areas.

Baswaliha struggles to make ends meet. Her village lacks basic facilities, such as gas, steady electricity and the internet. After the death of her son and husband, Baswaliha didn't lose hope. She did not want to live off government aid — a meager 10,000 rupees (€53/$62) per month — that stopped in 2014.

She wants her remaining children to receive a proper education. "It was not easy. At one point, I started thinking that my life is useless, and I cannot survive in this society," she told DW, adding that women are not even allowed to visit the local market alone in Mohmand district. Sewing is one of her major sources of income. She charges 150-200 rupees to sew a woman's suit.

"After the death of my husband, I used to make breads and my small daughters used to sell them to the locals on the main road. Then my daughters grew up a little, and girls 'roaming around' is considered bad in our area," she said. "That's when I started making quilts and blankets and sold them to locals," she added. A male member, regardless of his age, must accompany her to the market.

There are thousands of families in Pakistan's northern and northwestern tribal areas that have been victims of extremist violence in the region. Abdur Razaq, Baswaliha's brother-in-law, said he still remembers the day when Mian Abdul Ghufran was killed in a Taliban attack. He hopes the tribal areas don't plunge into turmoil and violence once again.