Female DJs modernize tribal Pakistani region reports that within the strict tribal northwest areas of Pakistan, women are on the airwaves.
For most people in the region – the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) known for its strict male domination – hearing female voices on the recently established FM channel, Radio Khyber, is not only a pleasant surprise but also a sign of much awaited social change.
The new station, set up by the FATA authorities, aims to counter several illegal stations run by the extremists who air anti-West and pro-Jihad propaganda and has raised a few eyebrows for breaking away from social norms in the region severely hit by the Taliban-led insurgency.
“We initially got a tough response and often resistance for having women. We had to air songs asked for by women under men’s names. But now situation is gradually easing out,” a station official said. “We’re glad to have become a harbinger for change that was awaited for long,” said another official.
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