What Exactly Happened With Malala Yousafzai? Nobel Peace Prize Winner Returns To Hometown In Pakistan For The First Time In 13 Years

Pakistan’s first Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, visited her hometown in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday for the first time since being shot by the Taliban.

According to The Dawn newspaper, she travelled by helicopter to Barkana in Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where she met with her family members.

Family Visit and Ancestral Graveyard

During her visit, Malala met her uncle, Ramazan, who had recently undergone heart surgery in Islamabad. She also paid respects at her ancestral graveyard before heading to other locations.

According to Karora Station House Officer (SHO) Amjad Alam Khan, Malala was accompanied by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, and her husband, Aseer Malik, whom she married in 2021.

Visiting Schools She Established for Girls

One of the key highlights of Malala’s visit was her trip to the school and college she founded in Barkana in 2018. This institution provides free education to around 1,000 girls, in an area that previously lacked a functional government college for girls.

SHO Khan stated, “Malala met with students, inspected classrooms, and encouraged them to focus on their education for a brighter future.” He also noted that the Malala Fund will continue ensuring a high-quality education for students at the college.

Malala also visited her maternal family home and met with education activist Shahzad Roy, who manages the Shangla Girls School and College under Zindagi Trust. He provided her with an update on the educational facilities offered at the institution.

When Malala Yousafzai Was Shot In The Head

In 2012, Malala Yousafzai, a young education activist from Pakistan, was shot in the head by Taliban extremists for advocating girls’ right to education. Recalling the harrowing incident, Malala shared in a post, “In October 2012, a member of the Pakistani Taliban entered my school bus and fired a bullet into my left temple. The bullet grazed my left eye, skull, and brain, causing severe damage, including lacerating my facial nerve, shattering my eardrum, and fracturing my jaw joints.”

Malala suffered life-threatening injuries but miraculously survived. The attack, meant to silence her voice, only strengthened her determination to fight for education and women’s rights.

While Malala does not remember the exact details of the shooting, she described its lasting impact on her and those who witnessed the traumatic event. “I still carry the scar on my back where doctors removed the bullet from my body,” she wrote. The incident left both physical and emotional scars, not just on Malala but also on her friends who were present during the attack.

Despite the brutal assault, Malala continued her advocacy, becoming a global icon for education and women’s rights. Her story remains an inspiration for millions fighting for equal opportunities in education worldwide.

Previous Visits to Pakistan

After her brief visit, Malala returned to Islamabad. Her first visit to Pakistan since the 2012 attack was in 2018. She later visited again in 2022, when she traveled to areas affected by devastating monsoon floods and met with survivors.

Earlier this year, in January 2024, Malala was in Islamabad to attend the International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities.

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