PESHAWAR: Speakers at a ceremony here on Sunday termed the publication of a new fiction book titled ‘The prince who destroyed my life’ a treasure trove for the book buffs.

The ceremony was held at Peshawar Press Club to launch the book penned down by rights activist Asia Jamil alias Eiman.

The new fiction book sheds light on gender disparity in the society. A large number of social and rights activists, writers, intellectuals, students and teachers attended the ceremony.

Kamran Khan Bangash, special assistant to chief minister on higher education and information, who was chief guest on the occasion, said that government was taking steps to ensure women empowerment. “The book on the gender issue is a guideline for the rights activists and the society at large,” he added.

Novel on gender disparity launched

Asia Jamil said that the issue of gender disparity was not local but global. She said that she wanted to dispel the impression that only man was responsible for the gender disparity issue. She added that women too should accept their part.

Asia Jamil being author of three books, two for children and one for adults, had a vast practical experience regarding women issues and her recent book narrates the story of a minor girl Paghonda, who has been married off at the tender age of 13 to a 35-year-old-man.

Dr Anwar Wali Khan Orakzai said that the author unfolded several layers of gender inequality including the enigma of early childhood marriage, gender biased abortion, incest, body shaming, relinquishment of trans sexual child at birth for adoption and the challenging position of a transgender through her story in the society.

“The story impressed me so much that I would translate it into Pashto,” he said.

Hayat Roghani said that the story of Paghonda was gruesome tale of every young girl whether in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or elsewhere and all the stakeholders should put their hands together to get to the root cause of the issue and remove it from the society. “I have read the story and it is a must read. It would enlighten the readers with a new vision and creative approach to the gender disparity issue,” he added.

Prof Samiuddin Arman said that the book was in fact an academic study of the effects of child marriage on the women but it also narrated the story of a young girl, who got trapped in the abyss of the conservative and rigid cultural traditions of her patriarchal society.

Young poet Afsar Afghan said that story of the book mainly revolved around early marriages because of which girls not only suffered psychologically but also physically.

Areesha Riaz Ghafur and Asif Iqbal also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021