Homecoming: Malala expected to visit Swat today

She is likely to pay visits to her school and home in Mingora

ISLAMABAD: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai is expected to visit her hometown in Swat today (Saturday), sources told The Express Tribune.

It was learnt that she would be going with her family to her school and house in the town of Mingora. Earlier, there were speculations that Malala had travelled to Swat on Friday after receiving a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior. However, this could not be verified as much information related to her visit are being kept secret.

Malala does not need clearance from any authority to travel in Pakistan since she is a Pakistani national, but sources said that her visit was being administered at the state level, thus necessitating permission from the Ministry of Interior and other security agencies before entering sensitive areas.



Malala was kept out of range of local media on Friday, making it difficult to learn about her activities on the day.

Malala returned to Pakistan on Thursday for the first time since Taliban militants shot her in the head almost six years ago for her efforts to promote education for girls in schools.

She was flown to Britain in 2012 for medical care and then impressed the world with her eloquent stance for rights of girls and women. She went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, becoming the youngest awardee. She shared the prize with Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi.

Since last fall, she has been enrolled an undergraduate at Oxford University.

Malala is regarded as a champion against extremism by her supporters. However, many on the religious and political right in Pakistan have criticised her, calling her a mouthpiece for Western cultural ideas.