London: The father of 15-year-old Pakistani teenage rights activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban but survived, has been given a diplomatic job in Britain, a newspaper said on Thursday.
Ziauddin Yousafzai has been appointed Pakistan’s education attache at the consulate in Birmingham, sources told the Daily Mail.
The job is believed to be for up to three years and virtually guarantees that Malala will remain in the country for that duration for medical treatment.
Malala was targeted by the Taliban for her campaign for girl’s education in Pakistan and in October last year was shot in the head. She was later flown to Britain for specialist treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she was visited by Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari.
Her father thanked well-wishers for their support. “She wants me to tell everyone how grateful she is and is amazed that men, women and children from across the world are interested in her well-being,” Ziauddin was quoted as saying.
Malala’s case drew worldwide attention and she made the shortlist for Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ for 2012.
