Culture

Schools Closed Under Taliban In Restive Afghan Province

Lawmakers in a restive northeastern province in Afghanistan say Taliban control has deprived hundreds of thousands of students from going to schools.

'Happiest Day' As Malala Makes Emotional Return To Pakistan

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has returned to Pakistan for the first time since she was shot by Taliban militants in 2012, shedding tears of joy and vowing to keep campaigning for the education of girls.

'Ray Of Hope': Transgender News Anchor Marks New First In Pakistan

Pakistan’s first transgender news anchor hopes her rise will be a source of hope for her long-oppressed community.

Pakistan's Pashtuns Find New 'Frontier Gandhi'

Manzoor Pashteen is leading a new Pashtun movement in Pakistan, where many are comparing him to a revered leader in the nonviolence movement during the British Raj in the 20th century.

Pakistani Court Acquits 20 In Case Of Christians Burned Alive

A Pakistani court has acquitted 20 people of charges that they were part of a lynch mob who burned alive a Christian couple that had been falsely accused of blasphemy in 2014.

Nursing Afghan Student-To-Be Passes Test In The Global Eye

As images of Jahantab Ahmadi nursing her infant daughter while taking a university entrance exam in Afghanistan go global, the young mother and student looks to improve the lives of women in her home province.

Fate Of ‘Disappeared’ Stirs Pashtun Anger In Pakistan

Clerics Back Polio Vaccination In Afghan Province

Religious scholars have joined government officials in a remote eastern province to convince the insurgents to allow children in the regions they control to be vaccinated against the crippling infectious disease polio.

A Face Of Victimhood Defaced In Afghanistan

An effort by Kabul street artists to memorialize a prominent Hezb-e Islami victim is quickly defaced by masked men, prompting an outcry.

Undocumented In Iran: One Family's Story

Hanieh and Ali fell in love and got married three years ago, despite their families' objections. But Ali, the son of Afghan refugees, has no residency papers in Iran, and neither does the couple's daughter. Now separated, the two told their stories to RFE/RL Radio Farda contributor Masih Alinejad.

Education System Eyed For Surge In Pakistan's Radicalized Youth

Pakistan in recent years has seen a spike in youth radicalization. Some experts believe the education system in the country is one of the factors that contribute to the rise of extremism among youth. VOA's Umer Farooq spoke with experts at Peshawar University.