By Ayesha Zee Khan
Samina Baig on the summit of Chashkin sar (photo Mirza Ali)
I salute you, for you are an inspiration
A country: that put you in gradation
For them, let your brilliance shine through
Your wisdom increased as you grew
Resilience in you is your donation
For a society that uses condemnation
All your achievements leave them blue
They often question: How could it be you?
Being steadfast you show determination
Your enthusiasm packed in acclamation
They seem to have a second hand view
Of your success, this makes a queue
For the young girls who follow in admiration
A will to stand up and prove their qualification
They stop your progress, you already knew
Your chains stretch a little, understand a few
A daughter is a mother’s proud possession
Whereas a father’s joyous adoration
What is the difference of importance so undue?
For a girl, the mutuality of parentage eschew
Prove them, you have a solid foundation
Their faults & catastrophe’s aren’t your negation
Pack codes and tribal laws do not glue
The triumphs of a female & her debut
Into this world of equality which is God’s formation
Woman of Pakistan, in standing up is your salvation
The future and destiny that our Lord drew
Has your share in it when you know it is true!
(This poem is dedicated to Samina Baig, the first Pakistani female Mountaineer to climb any unclimbed peak in the Karakorum Range. Extreme Adventure – Chaskin Sar Expedition, 2010) and the rest of the Pakistani Women who are proving that they CAN and WILL.Ayesha Zee Khan is a freelance writer/columnist, can be reached on this email: ayeshazeekhan@live.com
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