The Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences

Impact of the War on Terror in Afghanistan on Combatants’ Families from Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2026-09-16T05:42:41+00:00

The paper explores the impact post-9/11 US-led War on Terror in
Afghanistan on combatants’ families belonging to Dir, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. The combatants from Dir had crossed over to Afghanistan
under Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) to help the Taliban
in their fight against NATO forces. The fall of the Taliban government
resulted in the deaths of majority of TNSM while many went missing. Their
families back home in Dir faced a host of challenges which included
emtional trauma, social stigma, economic hardships, and inheritance
disputes. Besides, the Jihadi organizations covertly operating in the area
offered financial support to attract the young ones of these families to join
their ranks. Moreover, it also brings to the fore the cultural barriers that
prevented the widows of the combatants from re-marrying and denial of
share to combatants children under the pretext of denial of inheritance to
orphaned grandchildren, highlighting the vulnerability of combatants
families to manipulation. By charting the adverse impact of the conflict on
these families provides a deeper understanding of the conditions of the
marginalized ones including children of the combatants, their aged parents,
and widows. The tool used for collecting primary data was unstructured
interview through which the lived experiences of affected families were
recorded. A total of 25 respondents identified through snowball sampling
technique were interviewed, including 20 affected families members and 5
local key informants. The study attempts to contribute to the broader
discourse and deeper understanding of the impact of wars on the
marginalized populations.

Socialization of Gender Roles Attitude: A Study on Adolescents and their Parents of Lahore, Pakistan

2026-09-16T05:51:35+00:00

Parenting is an effective socialization institute and parents are critical in
shaping their children's belief on gender roles. In the present study an
attempt has been made to analyze the gender difference in parenting
practices and its impact on the attitude of socializing the gender roles among
children. Applying the approach of positivist, this study is quantitative and
cross-sectional surveys were conducted. A sample of parents N=500 and
their children N= 500 were taken from a stratified random sampling in
multi-stage technique among the families residing in Lahore, the most
populous city and district of Punjab, Pakistan. Gender Roles Attitude Scale
(GRAS), with the author's prior authorization and a self-created Gender
Socialization Parenting Scale (GSPS) were used to collect data. Data was
analyzed using the statistical procedures of ANOVA, MANOVA and
frequencies/percentages. The results showed that the girls were more
attitudinal about egalitarian gender roles than girls. Parenting practice
‘role model’ was also found to influence the socialization of attitude
traditional gender roles among the children. A comprehensive strategy for
gender sensitive parenting in cooperation with social organizations such as
civil society, teachers, religious scholars, media, parents and children is
suggested.

Reporting from the Conflict Zone: Case of Bannu and Lakki Marwat

2026-09-16T06:27:06+00:00

This article explores the complex environment facing the journalists in the
conflict prone districts of Bannu and Lakki Marwat, Pakistan. Based on a
quantitative methodological approach that is based on the Spiral of Silence
theory, the research evaluates the effectiveness of security threats, lack of
access, and editorial limitations, and inadequate training in affecting the
objectivity of journalism. The main method of analysis was SPSS, but the
authors have performed a battery of statistical tests, such as descriptive
statistics, regression analysis, ANOVA, and t tests to support the empirical
research results. A questionnaire of 100 journalists working in local press
clubs revealed that there were serious risks of being threatened by militant
groups and political forces, pressure from government authorities, lack of
access to information, and the overall culture of self-censorship. To make the
media operations in war-torn regions safer and more independent, the report
suggests immediately needed institutional reforms, including certain safety
precautions, editorial independence, and training focused on conflict
sensitive journalism. Finally, the research is a contribution to the
overarching discussion on war journalism and provides policy suggestions
to protect press freedom and protect journalists in risky situations.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Educational Change in an NGO Adopted Public School in Pakistan: A Qualitative Case Study

2026-09-16T06:36:17+00:00

Teachers' professional lives can be significantly influenced by changes in
education, particularly when public schools are run by outside entities. Even
though the Adopt-a-School model is becoming more popular in Pakistan, this
study examines how teachers interpret educational improvement in a public
school managed by a non-governmental organization (NGO). Eight
instructors with three to thirty-five years of experience, including those who
served at the school both before and after the NGO took control, were
chosen for the study's qualitative case study. Semi-structured, open-ended,
paper-based interviews were utilized to gather data on professional
demands, NGO management, curricular revisions, and classroom practices.
Conventional method was used to make it easier for participants to express
their opinions. Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis was employed to
examine the data, and five major themes were discovered. The findings are
mixed: instructors typically noted advances in classroom instruction,
particularly the transition to student-centered, activity-based learning, and
appraised the enhanced school environment. They welcomed curricular
improvements for promoting deeper comprehension, but they also strained to
complete the material within the same academic year. Teachers documented
increased professional stress as a result of rigorous oversight, heavy
paperwork, confrontations with NGO coordinators, and a lack of
recognition, all of which affected their mental well-being. The report
suggests that NGO administrators should work more closely with teachers,
make administrative procedures easier, and set evaluation standards that
match the needs of activity-based education.

Work Subjectivities and Employability Prospects in the Imagined Futures of Undergraduate First-Generation Students

2026-09-16T06:43:13+00:00

This study examines how Undergraduate First-Generation Students (UFGS)
from disadvantaged backgrounds perceive, negotiate, and construct their
futures within Pakistan’s higher education system and the prevailing
uncertain job market. The article relies on in-depth qualitative interviews
with 43 Undergraduate First-Generation Students (UFGS) across six public
sector universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The respondents
were recruited with the help of purposive sampling techniques. Drawing on
Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice and Social Reproduction, and Markus and
Nurius’s concept of possible selves, it focuses on the nuanced understanding
of the challenges faced by FGS navigating work during university education.
The empirical data from interviews, interpreted and understood with the help
of Bourdieu’s and Markus and Nurius’ theories, the study findings indicate
that UFGS carry a mixed bag of feelings- hopes and anxiety about their
higher education completion and careers in a hierarchical system. On the
one hand, they hope that higher education will ensure their social mobility;
on the other, they are afraid of marginalization and exclusion in the existing
competitive and unequal job market.