Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was 'overwhelmed' as she arrived in Pakistan on Saturday after more than two years to attend a two-day global conference on girls' education in Islamabad as a special guest.
Speaking to AFP upon her arrival in her native country, the education activist expressed her emotions: "I'm truly honoured, overwhelmed and happy to be back in Pakistan."
The summit, which began on Saturday morning, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and brings together representatives from Muslim-majority countries to focus on addressing educational challenges, as millions of girls remain out of school. Yousafzai is scheduled to deliver an address at the conference on Sunday.
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Ahead of the summit, Malala shared her thoughts on X, stating, "I will speak about protecting rights for all girls to go to school, and why leaders must hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes against Afghan women & girls."
I am excited to join Muslim leaders from around the world for a critical conference on girls’ education. On Sunday, I will speak about protecting rights for all girls to go to school, and why leaders must hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes against Afghan women & girls. https://t.co/g2ymU4lTOw
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) January 9, 2025
The Afghan Taliban government was invited to participate, according to Federal Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, but no response was received. Afghanistan remains the only country globally where girls and women are prohibited from attending school and university.
Malala, who survived an attack by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 while on a school bus in Swat, became an international advocate for girls' education. After being evacuated to the United Kingdom, she rose to global prominence, eventually becoming the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17.
Since being attacked, Malala has returned to her home country only a handful of times.
