ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai will attend an international summit on girls’ education hosted by her native Pakistan, where she was nearly killed by militants as a schoolgirl.
Yousafzai was evacuated from the country in 2012 after being shot by the Pakistan Taleban, who were enraged by her activism, and she has returned to the country only a handful of times since.
A spokesperson for the Malala Fund charity confirmed Yousafzai will appear in person at the summit, which will focus on education in Islamic nations. “I am excited to join religious leaders from around the world for a critical conference on girls’ education,” she said yesterday in a post on X.
“On Sunday, I will speak about protecting rights for all girls to go to school, and why leaders must hold the Taleban accountable for their crimes against Afghan women and girls.”
Pakistan’s Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the Taleban government have been invited to attend, however officials from the neighbouring country have not responded to AFP requests for comment.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are banned from going to school and university.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taleban government has imposed an austere version of religious law which the United Nations (UN) has called “gender apartheid”.
Girls are only allowed to attend primary school, while women are largely restricted to working in segregated environments in health or education.
The Taleban administration claims that religious law “guarantees” the rights of Afghan men and women.
