Left Swat unconscious, returned with my eyes open: Malala

Nobel Laureate says peace returned to Swat after invaluable sacrifices rendered by locals

MINGORA: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Saturday visited her hometown in Swat for the first time since being attacked by Taliban gunmen.

"I left Swat with my eyes closed and now return with my eyes open," she told AFP, referring to how she was airlifted out in a coma after the attack in 2012. "I am extremely delighted. My dream has come true. Peace has returned to Swat because of the invaluable sacrifices rendered by my brothers and sisters," Malala said at a school outside Mingora. On Saturday, Yousafzai flew by helicopter, accompanied by her father, mother, and two brothers, to visit her childhood home in Swat amid heavy security.

Malala Yousafzai arrives along with her father Ziauddin Yousafzai (2L), brother Atal Yousafzai (L) and the principal of all-boys Swat Cadet College Guli Bagh, during her hometown visit, some 15 kilometres outside of Mingora, on March 31, 2018. PHOTO: AFP

"I miss everything about Pakistan ... right from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip and talk about our school life, to how we used to fight with our neighbours."



She said she has wanted to return before but, aside from security concerns, there was the hectic pace of school and her entry exams to Oxford, where she began studying last year for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics.  After flying by an army helicopter from Islamabad, Malala met friends and family before visiting the all-boys Swat Cadet College in Guli Bagh, some 15 kilometres outside Mingora.

Malala Yousafzai comes out from an helicopter upon her arrival at the all-boys Swat Cadet College Guli Bagh, during her hometown visit, some 15 kilometres outside of Mingora. Photo: AFP

Officials had earlier said she would address students there, but she stayed only a few minutes to take photographs before leaving again to return to Islamabad. Malala was kept out of range of local media on Friday, making it difficult to learn about her activities on the day.

Malala and her family visit their house in Mingora. PHOTO: EXPRESS

The Nobel Laureate 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 girls’ education. She was flown to Britain in 2012 for medical care and then impressed the world with her eloquence on rights issues. Malala went on to become the youngest ever Nobel Laureate, winning the peace prize in 2014. She shared the laurel with Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi.