aid as well as emergency ambulance information and emotional counseling and operates from Peshawar. Ismail criticised the British government's prevent strategy, saying it could lead to alienation of Muslims and could turn vulnerable individuals towards extremism. Ismail also spoke out against the laws of blasphemy in Pakistan and the effect this had on progressive speech, secular activism, and the safety of secular activists. She said: "I am convinced that without a secular democracy, we will not achieve peace in Pakistan." In addition to Aware Girls, which she continues to chair, Ismail set up the Seeds of Peace Network in 2010, training young people in human rights and political leadership, encouraging the participation of women in politics in Pakistan, and encouraging tolerance between people of differing faiths. Seeds of Peace was a response to what Ismail saw as the increased "Talibanisation" of young men and women vulnerable to militants in Swabi District and other Pashtun rural areas. According to the World Humanist Congress, "her work is characterised by promoting peace and pluralism; challenging religious extremism and militancy; promoting good governance in areas stricken by militancy; providing civic education to young people; strengthening democracy; and political mainstreaming of young women." Between 2009 and 2011, Ismail was on the Executive Committee of the Young Humanists International, and between 2010 and 2012 she was a Board Member of the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights. She also works for the Gender Working Group of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), and is a member of the Asian Democracy Network. Ismail was a board member of Humanists International from 2017 until 2021 and now serves as its global ambassador. Aware Girls have been forced to organise their community meetings by invitation only, in hotel rooms protected by armed guards, where they know the owners and staff. Its delegates suspect they are being monitored by Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Ismail has been threatened and forced to flee her home in the past because of her activism. On 16 May 2014, four armed gunmen attempted to force their way into her family home in Peshawar, shouting for Ismail who was luckily not home at the time; she had been delayed at the airport because she had lost her luggage after a flight. The gunmen were making threats and started shooting guns into the air when her father refused to open the door. "I thought