Malala’s father to work in Birmingham: Reports
Expected to take up a 12-month post as administrator at Pakistan Consulate.
Peace icon Malala Yousufzai’s father is to work in Birmingham while his daughter receives treatment in the city, the BBC reported.
Ziauddin Yousafzai will work at the Pakistan consulate as his daughter who is currently at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital undergoes lengthy treatment.
He is expected to take up a 12-month post as an administrator at the Pakistan Consulate in Birmingham.
According to the news report, Pakistan High Commission spokesperson said: “The government of Pakistan is responsible for the welfare of Malala and her family while they are in the UK.
“In view of the expected prolonged treatment of Malala in the UK, the government of Pakistan is thinking about various options to properly look after the family,” the spokesperson added.
According to UK’s Daily Mail, Birmingham Labour MP Khalid Mahmood welcomed the move, saying Malala’s family will be surrounded by well-wishers in Birmingham.
Earlier reports quoted the 15-year-old activist’s father dispelling rumours that his family would seek asylum abroad. He vowed that his daughter would return to Pakistan after her medical treatment was over.
Despite a bullet grazing her brain, doctors have said that Malala could make good recovery; however, will undergo long treatment.
Malala earned international fame for raising a voice against Taliban oppression in Swat. She was shot in the head, while two other girls sustained injuries, when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) opened fire on their school van in Swat valley on October 9.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2012.