Key words: Pakistan, Taliban, Swat, violence, women, girls, video footage, anti-women 

The first week of April 2009 witnessed a furore inside Pakistan, when private channels showed a young girl being beaten by the Taliban in Swat. In the last two years, there have been many anti-women acts by the Taliban, from demolishing girl schools to attacking women for actions, which they consider un-Islamic. What form this furore will take is too early to comment upon at this time, immediately after the video footage was released.

Will this make the rulers and the ruled in Pakistan understand the true nature of the Taliban? Will this make them realize what the Taliban will do, if they are permitted to administer justice? Will this initiate a renaissance in Pakistan’s society to elevate the status of women?