NEW YORK: Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.
As per details, Malala Yousafzai sought PM's support to promote education in rural areas, especially in Swat. She asked PM to support for establishing educational institutions in backward areas of the country as she wants every child to get quality education. She said that PML-N should make education its party Manifesto.
While admiring Malala's contribution towards education and her efforts to raise the status of girls, PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that government has increased education budget in the country and wants to raise the literacy rate by establishing more institutions for education. He further said that investment in education sector is more useful than in any other field.
However, we still have a lot of work to do to address the gender inequality and infrastructure issues, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister further said that the government is also in contact with NGOs and the provincial governments to achieve this objective.
A longtime advocate for young girls, Yousafzai herself was denied education in her home country Pakistan.
Yousafzai was 15 when she was shot in the head by the militants while returning from school. She was targeted due to her advocacy for women's education.
Yousafzai was initially treated in Pakistan and later flown to a hospital in Britain. She won world acclaim for her campaign and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
She is one of just six people to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.