Malala shooting: Key suspect’s sister apologises for attack

Please convey messag­e to Malala, that I apolog­ise for what my brothe­r did to her, says sister Rehana Haleem.

The sister of Ataullah Khan, the key suspect in the shooting of 15-year-old child activist Malala Yousufzai, apologised to her for the incident, reported CNN on Tuesday.

In an interview with CNN, Khan’s sister, Rehana Haleem said:

“Please convey a message to Malala, that I apologise for what my brother did to her.”

Haleem did not emphasise that Khan had actually carried out the attack, however, she said that the incident “has brought shame on our family. We have lost everything after what he did.”

The suspect’s sister said that what Khan did was “intolerable” and that “Malala is just like my sister.”

She said:

“I'd like to express my concern for Malala on behalf of my whole family; I hope she recovers soon and returns to a happy and normal life as soon as possible. I hope Malala doesn't consider me or my family as enemies. I don't consider Atta Ullah my brother anymore.”

Haleem defined how it was like when security officials raided her house, in order to trace down Khan. She said that the officials searched the entire house and seized their documents and pictures.

She further said that she was moved to a house nearby equipped with bars on the doors and windows along with her husband.

“I was pregnant and sick,” said Haleem. “Then, finally, after a day or two, they released me and my husband and told me they were letting me go only because I was sick.”

While saying that she had little doubt about her brother’s involvement in the shooting, she said that if he was innocent, he would have come back and claimed so. “He would have come to the aid of his mother and our family, his behavior is that of a guilty man. How could he abandon us?”

The police had identified Khan, a 23-year-old man from the Swat district, as the primary suspect.