10 reasons why Malala is Pakistan's very own Katniss Everdeen

Pakistan needs its own Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games and 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai fits the role perfectly.

Most of us Pakistanis who have seen Hunger Games had the same question in their mind. What if we had a Katniss Everdeen of our own? Who would it be?

Well, for those who don’t already know, we do.

We have Malala Yousafzai and here is how I view their similarities:

1. People think they’re both ‘pretentious’

A lot of people think Malala is fake and pretentious. A lot of people thought Katniss was fake too, until the passion shone through. Like Katniss won the hearts of Panem, Malala won the hearts of people across the world.

When Katniss showed up in Panem with an innocent personality and a shy, honest voice everyone thought it was just a gimmick to get attention. But over the course of the games, we noticed that Katniss was actually the girl who wanted to be good. She wasn’t faking it simply to get favours so that she could survive. She wasn’t doing it for entertainment or amusement, it was just who she was.



Similarly, people believe that Malala is fake, is a creation of the foreign media and that she is just faking her opinion for fame. But would she go through all that she did, without being dedicated to her cause?

The traumatic experience that she went through and the passion she shows cannot be faked.

2. Malala is our Mockingjay

Katniss fought for the rebels so that there could be peace in Panem. Malala continues to fight for the basic right of every woman - education.

Mockingjay is a name that Katniss was given by the people of Panem because she was able to make the powerful Capitol bend the rules and by doing that, she showed us that we can change the world one step at a time.

Malala is that symbol for the education of girls and women. Her journey symbolises the struggle for women’s right to education and she has fought battles that few of us can even dream of.

Katniss proved that we can change the world one step at a time in the Hunger Games. Photo: Reuters

3. Both have been targeted for fighting for what they believed in

Katniss believed in freedom and Malala believes in freedom for women’s right to education.

Katniss was a target of the Capitol ever since she won the annual Hunger Games. They knew that she had started a wave of rebellion that could not be stopped unless something was done to her, so they tried their best to bring her down, to crush the hope she ignited. Hunger Games part two is a testament to that. They wanted her gone.

Malala was also targeted so that her drive for the education of girls could be stopped. Her enemies wanted to put an end to what she was fighting for. She almost died only because she wanted what was best for her and other girls.

4. Both wrote books

Katniss wrote a book on the lives of the people that had been in her life and Malala has written a memoir of her own life.

While Katniss wrote the book only because it was something through which she could hold on to her family, the book became something bigger when she and her friends started documenting the lives of the people who had lost their lives in the struggle for freedom.

Although I have not yet read Malala’s book, I do know that it serves as a journal of the life she has lived so far and features her thoughts on the revolution that she wants to bring in the country and its mindset. Her blog posts, which got her in trouble in the first place served as a critical documentation of atrocities in Swat.

Malala wrote a book on her life, experiences and dreams for women in Pakistan. Photo: Reuters

5. Hardships and survival

Katniss had to learn to survive the hardships she faced whilst being poor, and Malala had to learn to survive being the target of hate by the very nation she loves.

District 12, where Katniss lived, was a poor district where people could barely survive and a lot of them starved for days. Katniss learned how to live a life of hardships and moulded herself accordingly. That is what kept her going through the revolution.

Similarly, Malala has to suffer unending hatred from people who oppose her desire to curb the injustice that this society shows to girls by taking away their right of education. But this young girl is strong and has shown that nothing can stop her.

6. Girl on fire vs girl being fired at

While Katniss was the girl on fire, Malala was literally fired at.

Katniss was labelled the ‘girl on fire’ because her dress was a magical innovation that caught fire when she spun it around.

Malala, well, we all know the tragedy that befell her.

7. Too young to know and understand

President Snow believed that Katniss was too young to understand what she was doing. Similarly, Malala has been labelled to be too young to know what she is saying and doing.

The President of the Capitol warned Katniss that if she rebelled in the games, it would only lead towards more unrest and trouble for the people who adored and idolised her. Yet, Katniss managed to start a revolution that turned things around and transformed life in Panem and its people.

People say that Malala is too young to understand that no matter what she says and does, she cannot land on the stars. They say that it is hopeless for her to dream such big dreams. But she has taken the first step and managed to do so much on the journey that she has set out on.

I personally believe that she is on the right track, no matter what the haters say.

8. Their emotions

Katniss showed her love for Rue in the Hunger Games and others through time, and we saw how Malala missed her school mates and mourned at the loss of people she lost during the Taliban reign.

Katniss lost many people over the course of the revolution and some of them were very close to her heart, some were even her very own family members.

In the same way, many people from Malala’s area lost their lives. It is hard to stay strong with so much bloodshed going on around you. And it is definitely hard not to lose faith in yourself with so many people relying on you to fulfil their hopes and dreams.

9. Their own Hunger Games

Katniss had to be a part of the Hunger Games. She didn’t have a choice.

Malala’s Hunger Games was a life of suffering and difficulties where she had to fight for her cause of women’s right to education.

Malala, like Katniss, lived in fear of being killed at any moment.

The games are all about survival. You either kill or you are killed. It’s a challenge to take a single step ahead or back, knowing that there is someone out there waiting to kill you.

Katniss knew how it felt to live a life where you could die without even knowing who killed you or how.

Malala had a similar issue. She lived in an area where she knew she could be bombed, fired at or kidnapped. One can only imagine how distressing such an existence would be. Nobody should have to go through life like that, especially not a 16-year-old girl.

Malala was shot in the head for pursuing her cause of women's right to education. Photo: Reuters

10. Both are a symbol of hope

Hope that things will get better, that truth will prevail and that good will always win.

They both have the support of people who believe in them and will always stand by them. Katniss was not alone. She had a community of revolutionaries by her side, who believed that she was ‘the girl’. She made it possible to change Panem.

Katniss had the support of her people against the Capitol. Photo: Reuters

Likewise, Malala is not alone. She has many people who support her and stand by her. She is a brave girl whom people believe in and she believes that she has the will to change things.



When you combine that level of determination and support, you know that anything is possible, and that dreaming and hoping never goes in vain.