Daily Times

Ali Begum was born to a well-educated Bangash family in Parachinar valley in early 1960s.

But her father, an employee in the Education Department, still faced backlash from extended family when he decided to send his daughters to a government high school.

“Our relatives would taunt my father. ‘One day, they’ll write love letters to their boyfriends,’ his relatives used to say to to him,” she recalls.

Years later, when she got into the Civil Superior Services of Pakistan, some of the same relatives would approach Ali Begum seeking favours. “I would respond to them by saying, ‘Why do you come to me now? I am not a good girl. I write letters to my boyfriends’,” she reminisces during a session with Daily Times about her plans to contest the upcoming general election on a seat from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Before her, the only woman to have contested election from the region on a general seat was Badam Zari, a native of Bajaur Agency, who lost to her opponent in 2013.

In view of her early struggles in the patriarchal society, Ali Begum vows to make women education a top priority of her election campaign.

She has opened an election office in Parachinar city whose inauguration drew a sizeable gathering of people from different walks of life including journalists and students.

At her first public address, she emphasised the need to promote women education in tribal areas, besides urging her supporters in the restive Parachinar region to work for interfaith harmony.

Asked about other issues high on her election agenda, she mentions effective action against honour-based killings and FATA reforms. “The residents of tribal areas have for a long time been bearing the brunt of policies that left the region as a buffer zone where all kinds of proxies were hosted,” she said.

Speaking to Daily Times, she explains how her short stay in the United States (US) after a career in the bureaucracy during which she served at key posts across the country motivated her to join politics.

She had moved to the US on the insistence of her son settled there when she and many others vocal against ‘incorrect state policies in the area’ started receiving threats. “In the US, the quality of public services was so much better and overall the society was more tolerant,” she said, adding that she started learning about the US political system with the help of her engagements with people from different walks of life. “Life was much more comfortable in the US but I was drawn towards my land and my people. Eventually, I decided to say goodbye to the US and move to Pakistan to join politics here.”

“I know that contesting elections in the medieval society of FATA will not be an easy task. There are so many stereotypes linked to women but the legacy of my father boosts my confidence and keeps me devoted to my mission,” she said.

“Kurram is still under threats from conservative and violent forces who can harm me, but I’ve crossed the age of 60 and I have seen a lot of things in my life. My greatest strength is that I don’t have much to lose,” she says.

Despite her high ideals, Ali Begum is strikingly realistic when it comes to the election contest itself. She is well aware of the role of big money in Pakistani politics. “I know it’s impossible to win a seat in the Parliament without spending big bags of money,” she says with a smile on her face. “That is the tradition of politics. You cannot completely ignore it,” she says, adding that she would follow the tradition to the extent that was necessary, while bearing in mind that it’s not good for the health of the country’s democracy. She says she has already received donation pledges and would contribute funds to her campaign from her savings as well.

Published in Daily Times, May 26^th 2018.