ISLAMABAD: Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace laureate, urged Pakistan’s establishment and political leaders to play their role in reviving peace in Swat.
Malala, arrived in her native Pakistan earlier this week and visited the flood-hit areas. She met with flood survivors and toured the worst-hit areas of Sindh.
Malala, who arrived in her native Pakistan earlier this week to visit the flood-hit areas and meet with flood survivors, has already toured the worst-hit areas of Sindh.
In an interview to BBC, Malala said that peace in Swat can only be revived with the efforts of the establishment and political leaders.
With her exit from the country precipitated by a gun attack in Swat that put her in a hospital in England for months, said that the people do not need terrorism to resurface in Swat again and become victims of terrorism.
“When I was informed about the attack on the school van and children’s injuries, I felt pain, it is a very scary situation,” Malala said, who was herself a schoolgirl when a militant aligned with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) shot her in the head.
She further said that people still face trauma from past terror incidents around the valley.
It is the responsibility of leaders and the establishment to make sure there is peace in the Swat valley, she added.
“All children, whether they are girls or boys, should be secure from terrorism,” she said, noting that the peaceful access to education was a fundamental right.
Recalling from memory, she said that the people of Swat had always had raised their voice against terrorism. Malala was just 11 years old when the Taliban imposed a ban on girl’s education in the valley.
“I always feel annoyed and pain when I recall those incidents of terrorism,” she added.
Malala Yousafzai also expressed solidarity with people who are protesting against terrorism in Swat.
“I am always with those who want peace and prosperity in Swat valley.”
Horror of floods
Malala said that when she visited Dadu in Sindh, she saw entire villages and cities submerged.
She said that she felt the horror when she saw how millions have been affected and hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless.
“We have to work for them tirelessly,” she said.
She informed that her Malala Fund has collected $0.7 million for flood effected children while her organization also started work on a project for flood-affected girls in Balochistan, where they teach girls different strategies to obtain education.
Malala urged other countries to donatee.
