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Thursday March 28, 2024

No function held in her native Swat

Anniversary of attack on Malala

By our correspondents
October 10, 2015
MINGORA: No function was held to remember the attempt on the life of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and showed solidarity with her on the anniversary of the attack on her by the Taliban militants in her native Swat on October 9, 2012.
Malala Yousafzai, who advocated the importance of education for girls, was critically injured in the attack when she was going home after school time in a van along with other schoolmates. She was 15 when attacked.
The attack was claimed by the militants loyal to Maulana Fazlullah, head of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Malala Yousafzai wrote a diary under a pseudonym for the BBC Urdu service when the Taliban militants were calling the shots in the scenic Swat valley. The blog described life under the Taliban.
Later, she started campaigning for children’s rights, particularly the right of girls to education.
Her struggle for peace and children’s rights was acknowledged by the world and she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The local officials believe that then leader of Swat militants, now TTP chief Maulana Fazlullah had ordered the attack on Malala.
He is thought to be hiding somewhere in eastern Afghanistan close to the Pak-Afghan border.
“The world is appreciating Malala, but her people have disowned her,” said a college student, requesting not to be named.