When activist Jamaima Afridi first discussed the idea of a camp to teach girls cycling with professional athlete Samar Khan, she suggested to start in Khyber where women have fewer opportunities compared to other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Once part of the tribal areas, Khyber is part of the Peshawar Division since FATA’s merger with the province.

The two organised the cycle rally in Landi Kotal on December 9. Over a dozen girls, mostly joyous teenagers, took part. They learned how to balance, ride, and go for a spin.

The event was organised under the Global Sports Mentoring Programme—an international leadership development program that focuses on advancing gender equality (ie, empowering women through sports programme) and disability rights.

The knee-jerk right wing response followed, with local religio-political leaders quick to condemn the cycle race as ‘foreign agenda’. But the organisers remain undeterred, having faced similar resistance in the past. They were also buoyed by the positive respose on social media, where people saw its value as a tool of empowerment and a solution to mobility issues.

“I will personally do whatever I can or think is necessary for my area, particularly for its women,” Jamaima told Aaj News when asked about the opposition to the cycling event.

While protesting against the rally, the supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had said there were other, more pressing issues facing women than being able to cycle.

Jamaima says the argument about cherrypicking is presented when any activity pertaining to women is organised.

“We do not see such protests agaisnt honour killing, domestic violence, sexual abuse or saura,” she said. Saura is a tribal custom, especially among Pashtuns, where the jirga can decide to hand over a girl from a murderer’s family to be wedded to a member of the slain victim’s family. The practice has been rooted out but is known to take place in parts of conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “At that time, they don’t feel their honour is being attacked.”

This sense of honour, says the activist, is only awakened when a healthy activity takes place. “An activity in which the participating girls have worn traditional clothes to ride cycles.”

Jamaima, who moonlights as a journalist, said that such criticism was commonplace but was hopeful of greater acceptance in times to come.

Why don’t you work for education?

Among the criticism labelled at the cycling camp organisers was that they aren’t working for education in the tehsil (administrative sub-unit). The area had its first girls’ degree college established two months ago. It offers a two-year programme.

Jamaima added that she was involved in education-related awareness but the critics wouldn’t bother to look it up. “I have many friends with whom I have worked on education in my area. But no one is talking about this. Education is important but so are sports and freedom of mobility.”

She pointed out that women in KP have to fetch water from the wells and firewood from the mountain for which they have to walk miles. “No one wants to protest about that.”

Threats, online campaign

Jamaima says she been threatened with dire consequences albeit indirectly. They have been communicated to her verbally and also online. She calls it part of an orchestrated vilification cmapaign and she is concerned.

“I wouldn’t be worried if it were just about me. But there are plenty of girls involved in this with me,” she said while urging the government to take action against those threatening her while calling the Jamaat-e-Islami protest a form of ‘hate speech’.

“This Jamaat-e-Islami… is a [group] of very hypocritical people. In Karachi, the party organises various sports activities in connection with women empowerment. But when it comes to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sports activists become vulgar. So the JI should also clarify its position on this.”

Jamaima says she kept the cycling camp and rally a secret due to such security concerns. She also asked her co-organiser and participants not to share any information about their events before they take place. “The seucrity of Samar and other girls was my responsibility.”

Families in attendance

The cycling camp and rally were festive affairs with entire families turning up to support the young girls. Jamaima said that the families needed some convincing but they came around.

The cyclists pedalled near Jamaima’s residence in Sadokhel, an area where people belonging to the Afridi tribe live. Shinwari, Mulagori, and Shalmani are the other three tribes in the town. Normally, the ground is used for cricket matches.

“Honestly, quite a few of these girls were accompanied by their mothers. They were all very happy. The camp was great and the girls had a lot of fun,” she said. “Most of the girls were cycling for the first time and the majority of them learned how to balance and ride the same day.”

She said she kept the local administration out of the loop as the camp was held at her residence while the rally involved only a dozen or so participants.

“Freedom of mobility is our Constitutional right to begin with. If a woman is cycling, she is entitled to do so. I didn’t think it was necessary to contact anyone,” she said, explaining that the plan was not to do it publically. “We are aware of the challenges we face from the extremist mindsets.”

Shifting gears

Nisar Afridi, the father of one of the cyclists, lauded the event for being progessive and providing a recreational opportunity to the young women of the area.

“When my girls got to know [about the cycle rally], they requested for my permission to participate. I told them, without hesitation, that there was no need to seek permission. Go and take part in it,” he said. He said this was to reiterate to his daughters that women are equal to men and this is enshrined the country’s Constitution, he told Aaj New via an audio message.

Nasir’s daughter is also an avid cricketer and regular at school events.

Nasir said that it was better for his daughter to cycle to school instead of using public transport. “It will help her in running errands and visiting family members, those who live a few kilometers away.”

He said that cycling had added to her daughter’s confidence. “She now wants to learn to drive a car.” He is enrolling his daughter in a driving school next.

He was grateful to the two organisers, Jamima and Samar, for the event while urging them to plan more activties.

“Initially, people will find it odd. But soon they will be sending their sisters and daughters to be part of such activities.”