29th March, 2018
Nobel peace laureate, Malala Yousafzai, met Pakistan’s prime minister and was expected to address a reception in her honour on Thursday, in her first visit to her home county since she was shot by the Taliban in 2012.
Yousafzai, now 20, arrived in the capital Islamabad from Britain overnight with her parents and was received by Prime Minister, Shahid Abbasi, at his office.
A police offical Maeem Khan said a red alert was declared at the airport to provide security to Yousafzai, who still faces threats from the Taliban, and she was escorted to her hotel.
She moved to London after the Taliban nearly killed her for advocating for girls’ education in her home town of Swat in north-western Pakistan, where the militants ruled between 2007 and 2009 before being driven out in a military offensive.
Yousafzai’s courageous campaign won her several global honours and in 2014 she became the youngest Noble laureate at 17.
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She was expected to address a reception on Thursday and meet a delegation of women’s rights activists from across Pakistan.
Yousafzai was welcomed on her return with #Malala becoming the top trend on Twitter in the country and widespread media coverage.
She is unlikely to visit Swat because of security concerns, but would meet her family and friends in Islamabad, her cousin Mahmud Hassan said.
“We are very excited to see her after so many years,” said Hassan, who was already in the capital to meet his cousin.
She was scheduled to fly back to London on Monday after a series of meetings on the weekend.