New Delhi, March 11 -- I am a Pashtun girl, born and raised in Peshawar, where the echoes of Pashtunwali, our ancient code of honor, family loyalty, and resilience, still shape the rhythm of daily life. My father taught me that a daughter's strength is quiet but unbreakable; yet even then I have felt the weight of a culture that sometimes values sons more visibly.

Across the border in Afghanistan, that weight has become a cruel necessity under the Taliban regime. When I read the NPR report published on March 9, 2026, about young girls being turned into "bacha posh", literally "dressed like a boy", my chest tightened with rage. This is not some distant tragedy. This is happening right next to us in our neighbourhood.

Matter of Survival ...