Malala to become honorary Canadian

Malala to visit the country on October 22 to receive citizenship

OTTAWA: Malala Yousafzai will travel to Canada to become an honorary citizen, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday, the day when the 17-year-old education rights campaigner was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala was named an honorary Canadian a year ago and will visit the country on October 22 to receive citizenship, Harper said. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Malala and India’s Kailash Satyarthi for championing children’s rights.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I want to congratulate Malala... and Satyarthi for their wonderful work for humanity, for their tireless efforts in favour of children’s rights, and for bringing the causes they cherish to the attention of the whole world,” Harper said in a statement.

“I am also pleased to announce that Malala will be visiting us here in Canada on October 22, 2014. We look forward to pursuing our collaborative efforts on children’s education.”

Malala is only the sixth person to become an honorary Canadian; others include the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2014.