Perhaps the biggest story in Pakistan this year was that of Malala Yousafzai, a 14 year-old girl from Swat who was gunned down for blogging about life under Taliban rule. Swat was a stronghold for the Taliban from 2006 to 2008, a time during which the organization bombed schools in an attempt to destroy access to education. Against this backdrop, Malala talked about her right to be educated and how much she wanted to go to school. The local community saw her as a role model but the Taliban saw her as the enemy and attempted to murder her.

What then is the future for the woman in Pakistan?

"Very bright," says Bina Shah, a Karachi based journalist of women's issues. "She' s going to have a lot of courage but it's all right there within her grasp."

This week on Asian Threads, Reenita talks to Bina Shah about Malala and the stories about the challenge for women in Pakistan.

Featured guests:

 - Bina Shah