Welcome home, Malala

Noble Laureate, philanthropist, activist, student, survivor. Malala Yousafzai has achieved more in her 20 years than most people do in a lifetime. Her uncommon bravery and remarkable poise has made her a hero around the world – everywhere, that is, except in Pakistan. For the last five years, she has been unable to return to the homeland she loves so dearly. Her return to Benazir Bhutto Airport in Islamabad, followed by an emotional address at a function at the PM House, was very different to her departure in 2012 when she was whisked away in an air ambulance fighting for her life after the Taliban had shot her in the head during a bus ride home from her school in Mingora.

On Thursday, having set foot – accompanied by her parents and brother – on what she called her “nation’s soil”, Malala broke down as she spoke of how much she had longed to return home spoke to Pakistan. Switching between Urdu and Pashto, and visibly emotional about her homecoming, the young activist said she was still finding it unreal that she had returned home. But, for all the love and respect Malala has received – and for all the love that she so obviously has for her country – the girl who lived has continued to face hatred of many different kinds in Pakistan. There are the militants who so nearly killed her in 2012 and would like nothing more than to complete the job. Then there is the chattering class that projects its own insecurities on Malala by accusing her of being a sell-out and a Western stooge who might have staged the attempt on her life and who is anyway not ‘worthy’ of the attention she gets because she has not returned to Pakistan.

Malala’s visit to Pakistan may be short since she has to return to the UK for her studies but there should be no doubting that this survivor has already done more for this country that most people. During the height of Taliban rule in Swat, she had the courage to speak out when others cowered in fear. Since surviving the assassination attempt, she has donated her Nobel Prize money to set up schools in the country – contrary to the baseless criticism of her feckless detractors who claim she has done nothing for Pakistan. Malala is also now a citizen of the world; the Malala Fund has built schools in war-torn Syria and she herself has used her platform to shine a light on the persecution of Palestinians and the Rohingya. She is a champion of women’s rights around the world and, once again giving a lie to the dishonest haters who accuse her of being a CIA agent, has not shied away from criticising the West for its militarism. Malala has become the conscience of Pakistan as a bold and unapologetic activist – a reminder to us all of the power one person has to bring about positive change through commitment and perseverance. We await a day when this incredibly brave girl doesn’t have to return home after a five-year wait and amidst so much security, a day when the nation stands behind her in unity and overcomes petty jealousies or sinister speculation to honour her as a person willing to give all she has for her country and its people.