bravely go fight for girls ’ education and the better future of Pakistan . In that gloomy winter 2008 , there came the bad news – after the 15 th January 2009 , no girls , whether big or little , shall go to school . Upon hearing that over the radio , both Malala and I first felt crazy , then furious . In this 21 st century , how could one man stop more than 50,000 girls from going to schools . So throughout 2008 , Malala , with the support of her father , tried her every endeavor speaking up , to local and national TV channels , radio , and newspapers , to anyone who would listen . While Malala and other girls were bitterly waiting for their school days to end , Malala ’ s prayer to God seemed like being heard . A couple of months later , a documentary filmed earlier by the New York Times about terror in Swat Valley through following Malala from day to night , was aired across the border capturing attention of the world about what they ’ re asking for – education for girls in Pakistan . During the darkest days when the school was closed , Malala and I continued our studies at an underground school and learnt by ourselves through reading and watching videos . We coached each other on different topics . Life seemed to have a beam of hope when we talked about our ambitions . I said , “ I want to be an architect when I grow up because I love designing and drawing .” She sighed and said , “ I initially wanted to be a doctor to cure the diseased persons but what has taken place here has changed my mind . Now , I want to be a political leader to cure the ‘ diseased ’ country .” I gave her an understanding nod .
The situation became unstable in spring 2009 as Fazlullah broke the peace agreement and took Taliban took over SWAT . The Pakistani army started military operation against the Taliban . SWAT was in such a perilous state that Malala , along with her family and 800,000 others including me , were forced to flee . After rushing a farewell to each other in tears , Malala and I went our separate ways . We didn ’ t know whether we would meet again . After that I sneaked back to the time rocket where I entered into a hibernation capsule .
When I woke up , it was 2017 . I was on a plane flying from New Delhi to Pakistan . Next to me sat a foreigner , Mr Drump . I asked him to lend me his smartphone because the one I had been using since I landed on Swat a decade ago was now too old to catch up on the latest version . I made a call to Malala to see if she had returned to Pakistan but no answer . Drump didn ’ t have to touch anything to unlock his phone but just flashed it in front of his face . He then explained to me it was the IPhone X which uses facial recognition to unlock it . Digital technology advanced a lot in 10 years .
Drump told me he was returning to Pakistan to take his niece ’ s family back to the United States for good . Out of curiosity , I asked , “ What made you make such decision ?” He said to me in whisper , “ You know , kid . Today , the US-North Korean nuclear crisis is unfolding and Pakistan ’ s future is unpromising . India is contending with another border flare-up with China . Hostilities along the Line of Control in Kashmir have been igniting with fire sparks since Prime Minister Narendra Modi authorized and publicized ‘ surgical strikes ’ against Pakistani military posts in retaliation for the actions of extremist groups which enjoy safe haven in Pakistan .”
Hearing that I felt sad and puzzled … Pakistan was once part of India , but today they are so antagonistic to each other . India , being the cradle of Buddhism , should be a place blessed with joy and peace ! New year vibes have just crawled away but an appalling news headline on January 11 th terrified me - a 7- year old Pakistani girl was raped , strangled and left in a dumpster . Have Malala ’ s efforts paid off ? What should I tell Sanzang if I met him again ? Are joy and peace too ‘ intangible ’ to grasp ? With courage , what can I do to help make our land a better place to live ?