The Taliban Couldn't Quash This Pakistani Squash Champ
For much of her life, Maria Toorpakai has been threatened by extremist groups like the Taliban. Now the subject of a PBS documentary, she tells how she found the courage to keep playing sports.
When Maria Toorpakai plays squash in the Pakistan city of Peshawar, military snipers stand on the roof over the court to protect her from the Taliban.
But she's certainly not afraid of attention. The country's greatest female squash player is the star of a documentary, The War to Be Her, which debuts on the PBS documentary series POV on July 23.
Toorpakai, 27, grew up in Waziristan, a mountainous tribal region that borders Afghanistan — and is a haven toGirls there face grave risks just for attending school.
