Fareeda "Kokikhel" Afridi was a Pakistani feminist, a women's rights activist in Pakistan. In July 2012, at the age of 25, she was shot dead on her way to work.[1][2][3]
Fareeda "Kokikhel" Afridi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Khyber tribal area, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan |
| Died | Hayatabad, Peshawar, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Education | Master's degree in gender studies |
| Occupation(s) | Feminist, women's rights activist |
| Organization(s) | Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA) |
| Known for | Women's rights activism, co-founding SAWERA |
Afridi was born and raised in the Khyber tribal area, part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), an impoverished semi-autonomous region in Pakistan's northwest, bordering Afghanistan.[4]
She graduated from university with a master's degree in gender studies. While still in school, with her sister Noor Zia Afridi, she founded the Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA), a women-run NGO promoting women's empowerment in FATA.[5][6]
Afridi was critical of the Pakistani government, the Taliban, and the patriarchal nature of Pakistani society.[7]
In June 2012, she told journalists she was being threatened. Her friends and colleagues suspected the threats originated with FATA Taliban militants.[7]
On 5 July 2012, as Afridi left her home to go to work in Hayatabad a suburb of Peshawar, she was shot once in the head and twice in the neck by two motorcyclists, who afterwards escaped. She died in hospital.[8]
Condemning the murder at a protest camp organized by the Aurat Foundation along with Peshawar Press Club and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain stated:
Imposing death decrees on individuals such as Farida has resulted in a negative portrayal of our country as well as Islam itself.[9][10][11]
She was the second female in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be targeted by Taliban extremists.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Activist's killing reverberates in Pakistan
- ^ Woman NGO worker shot dead in Peshawar
- ^ Yusufzai, Zahir (5 July 2012). "A Feminist, Women Rights Activist Killed". FATA Research Centre. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Zia, Asad (5 July 2012). "Militancy: A progressive voice for tribal women silenced in targeted attack". The Express Tribute (with the International Herald Tribune). Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "About SAWERA". Safe World for Women. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Positive Pakistanis: Sister act
- ^ a b Pakistani Women's Rights Activist Fareeda 'Kokikhel' Afridi Shot Dead in Peshawar
- ^ Crowstaff, Chris (7 July 2012). "Pakistani Women's Rights Activist Fareeda 'Kokikhel' Afridi Shot Dead in Peshawar". TrustLaw (Thomson Reuters). Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Woman activist's murder widely condemned
- ^ Farida Afridi's murder: Alliance calls for timely justice, protection on human rights activists
- ^ HRCP condemns killing of human rights activist, alleged blasphemer
- ^ Zia, Asad (11 October 2012). "Targeting women:Malala, Taliban's third female victim". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 20 October 2012.