“I think WAF’s major achievement has been in mainstreaming women’s issues; be it violence in all its forms, democracy, education, health care or anything else. They have pressed forward with these issues to such an extent that political parties now have to acknowledge their presence. We have also played a role in establishing institutions, such as the Ministry of Women, the Commission on the Status of Women, contributing to policy and instituting laws that favour women. The women’s movement has been part of the country’s democratic struggle.

“Women, in the broader context, have never been part of the extremist agenda. Even during the time of Maulana Fazlullah, and “Mullah Radio”, the Swati women who initially backed him eventually withdrew, when they realised what his agenda was.

“Most of all, women need economic freedom and control over their own financial resources in order to be empowered. That is where their position needs to be strengthened to enable them to attain their full human potential.”