Recently, Imran Khan had to tweet the following message out to his supporters regarding Ayesha Gulalai’s sister, Maria Toorpakai

My request to all PTI supporters is to immediately refrain from targeting Ayesha Gulalai's sister.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 3, 2017

This became necessary after our desi gairat brigade went after Maria in an effort to defame her sister alongside. Some pretty crude comments were passed

Ya Allah khawaja sb ke bachi ko athlete bana jo nicker pahan kr puri dunya main pak ka naam buland kray.Happy mw

— abdullah cheema (@maverickcheema) August 2, 2017

Maria Toorpakai became an easy target for those looking to release their anger that stemmed from Ayesha Gulalai’s statements

#AyeshaGulalaiWazir criticising IK 4 bringing western cultur.This is her sister Maria Toorpakai Wazir.Hope she knows diff btwn East & West. pic.twitter.com/9BTjpY7LVg

— Dr.A A Khatak (@draftabaziz) August 1, 2017

For those of you who do not know much about Maria Toorpakai, her journey happens to be one of immense resilience and courage.

Born in Waziristan in an extremely conservative region, Maria had to disguise herself as a boy to follow her dreams of playing squash. Her family had to endure constant threats and she had to endure constant belittling. She was taunted and bullied. Maria became a target for the gairat brigade back then, too. They targeted her for playing while wearing shorts. But she powered through, nonetheless. She went on to win several junior championships. In 2007, she was awarded the Salaam Pakistan Award by Pervez Musharraf.

Maria Toorpakai is, undeniably, a national hero. Which is why Pakistanis jumped in to support her amidst the dirty political battle

Pride of Pakistan ?? @MariaToorpakai proud of u. pic.twitter.com/ilSJ1OJISg

— Bilal Ahmad Usafzai (@BilaalAhmaad7) August 3, 2017

People rightfully pointed out how her sister’s political stance is another domain altogether

Maria represents Pakistan n shud be honoured for her work.
Her sister's politics is another domain.#AyeshaGulalaihttps://t.co/J3GTQ0AMmd

— Asif J Raja (@aj_raja) August 3, 2017

Others reminded our countrymen of how she is a source of pride for Pakistan

Pride of Pakistan, Squash player Maria Toorpakai with her father #MariaToorpakai #AyeshaGulalai pic.twitter.com/BcIGAxeuUm

— Noor­­ ­­­­ (@noorpamiri) August 2, 2017

People pointed out how they would be lucky to have a daughter like Maria

If I ever had a daughter, I'd be immensely proud if she was as brave, as accomplished, and persevered as Maria Toorpakai has. She's a hero. https://t.co/DN5Glvnn8J

— Asad Khawaja (@asadmkh) August 2, 2017

And constant reminders were given to keep our heroes out of politics

Girls like @MariaToorpakai are pride of nations. Keep her out of your dirty politics. Period.#AyeshaGulalai pic.twitter.com/gJuf4vNw5x

— Awais Hameed (@awais_hameed) August 2, 2017

Pakistanis demanded that Maria be given the respect she has earned

Maria toorpakai wazir has done more for Pakistan than the people dragging her into her sister's dirty politics. Respect our national icons

— maXes (@HORUS_PTI) August 3, 2017

And the fact that she was dragged into the matter in the first place was considered shameful and disgusting

Those maligning Maria Toorpakai Wazir to get back at Ayesha Gulelai, well, shame on you.

This is the most disgusting thing one could do.

— Sikander F. Bhadera (@SikanderFayyaz) August 2, 2017

The entire incident and the way people reacted can fully be addressed by Maria’s own tweet, where she urges people to not lose faith in their nation’s daughters

Never lose hope in your Nation's daughters . They are purer than you can imagine ! Believe whole heartedly and… https://t.co/1hfUYpSViP

— Maria ToorpakaiWazir (@MariaToorpakai) August 2, 2017

It is extremely saddening to see that women are still easy targets in battles that have nothing to do with them. To shame someone like Maria, who defied all odds to follow her dreams and become a source of pride for Pakistan, is pretty unfortunate. Maria’s involvement in sports and her sister’s allegations against Imran Khan are two separate things altogether. They need not overlap. Perhaps it’s time we learned to give respect to women who have done everything in their power to earn it. If we do not treat our heroes right, who will?

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments below.

Cover image via: @asfandyarbhittani/twitter.com