This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/28/malala-yousafzai-pakistan-visit

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Malala Yousafzai makes tearful return to Pakistan for first time since Taliban shooting 'Happiest day of my life': Malala returns to Pakistan for first time since Taliban shooting
(about 5 hours later)
The Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has made a tearful return to Pakistan in her first visit to her native country since she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012 for advocating education for girls. Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel laureate and activist for girls’ education, has made an emotional return to Pakistan for the first time since she was shot in the head nearly six years ago in a Taliban assassination attempt.
Yousafzai, travelling with her father and younger brother, met the prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in the capital, Islamabad, before giving a brief speech on national television. Yousafzai, the youngest ever Noble prize winner, arrived on Thursday in the capital Islamabad with her father and younger brother, meeting the prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, before giving a speech on national television.
“It’s the happiest day of my life. I still can’t believe it’s happening,” she said, wiping away tears. I don’t normally cry … I’m still 20 years old but I’ve seen so many things in life,” she added. “I am very happy that, after five-and-a-half years, I have set foot on the soil of my nation again,” she said, wiping away tears. “Today is the happiest day of my life, because I have returned to my country; I have stepped foot on my nation’s soil again and am among my own people.”
Yousafzai spoke of the importance of education and about the efforts of her charitable foundation to help girls, often switching between English and the Pashto and Urdu languages. She added: “I don’t cry often ... I am now 20 years old, but I have seen so many things in life.”
“Welcome home,” Abbasi told Yousafzai. “When she went away, she was a child of 12. She has returned as the most prominent citizen of Pakistan.” Switching between Urdu, Pashto and English, the Oxford University student reflected on growing up in the Swat valley north-west of Islamabad, watching the region become engulfed by militancy, and becoming conscious of “how many difficulties women and girls face in our society”.
It was Yousafzai’s first visit to her homeland since she was airlifted to Britain six years ago for medical treatment. But she was unlikely to travel to her home region of Swat, in mountains north-west of Islamabad, due to security threats against her, a relative and security sources told Reuters. “For the betterment of Pakistan, it is necessary to educate girls and empower women,” she said, adding the charity she created in 2013, the Malala Fund, had already invested $6m in girls’ education in the country.
“It’s been long-held desire of Malala Yousafzai and her parents to visit Swat and see her relatives and friends. But she was not given permission due to security concerns,” said one relative, who declined to be identified. Yousafzai was 11 when she began to campaign for education rights. Her activism became more prominent, but also dangerous, as the Pakistani Taliban entrenched itself in the Swat valley and banned girls’ schools along with music and television.
Precise details of her itinerary have been kept secret in view of the sensitivity surrounding the visit, a government official said of the trip, which is expected to last four days. She continued writing for BBC Urdu pseudonymously and appeared in New York Times videos as the Pakistan army fought the Taliban for control of her home region.
When Yousafzai arrived in Pakistan capital, she was escorted through Benazir Bhutto airport under tight security, according to photographs broadcast on local television. In October 2012, when she was 15, a gunman boarded her school bus, asking “who is Malala?” before shooting her, the bullet grazing her brain and lodging in her neck.
Yousafzai has become a global symbol for human rights and a vocal campaigner for girls’ education since a gunman boarded her school bus in the Swat valley on 9 October 2012, asked “Who is Malala?” and shot her. In a critical condition, Yousafzai was airlifted for surgery to Birmingham, where doctors were able to reconstruct her skull and discharge her three months later. She remained in the UK to finish school and continue her treatment.
She was treated for her injuries in Birmingham, where she completed her schooling. Winner of the Nobel peace prize in 2014, Yousafzai has continued her campaigning while pursuing her studies at Oxford University. Undeterred by the attempted assassination, the teenager continued her advocacy, becoming a global icon for the right of girls to be educated, winning the Nobel peace prize in 2014 along with the Indian child rights’ activist Kailash Satyarthi.
Abbasi said on Thursday he was “so happy that our child who has earned so much fame internationally has come home”. “It is our dream and prayers that you are successful, our prayers with you. Welcome home Malala,” he said.
Yousafzai’s arrival at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto airport under tight security was only announced on Thursday and her exact itinerary has been kept under wraps. It is unclear whether she will visit the Swat valley.
Though her shooting generated revulsion across Pakistan, many in the country, especially among its hardline Islamist establishment, remain wary of Yousafzai and say she is a puppet of the west. The Pakistani Taliban has been unrepentant about targeting her and renewed their threats since the attack.
Her experience led the UN to launch a campaign for girls’ education, guided by the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown. Her memoir, I Am Malala, sold more than 1.8m copies worldwide, and 10 November has been designated by the UN as Malala Day.
Yousafzai told the audience at the prime minister’s residence in Islamabad it had not been her choice to leave Pakistan. “But it was always my dream that I return.
“And I want to be able to move freely in the streets and meet and talk to people peacefully, without any fear.
“I still can’t believe I am here,” she added. “It is literally a dream.”
Malala YousafzaiMalala Yousafzai
PakistanPakistan
South and Central AsiaSouth and Central Asia
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content