Malala Returns Home: Nobel Laureate Visits Hometown 13 Years After Shooting
Her visit was kept secret to avoid any potential threats.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai recently made a historic visit to her hometown, Barkana in Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for the first time since being shot by the Taliban in 2012.
This visit marked a significant moment, coming 13 years after the attempt on her life. Malala was accompanied by her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, and her husband, Aseer Malik, during the high-security visit, which was kept secret to avoid any potential threats.
During her visit, Malala met with family members, including her uncle who had recently undergone surgery, and visited the ancestral graveyard.
She also spent time at the school and college she established in 2018, which provides free education to about 1,000 girls in the district.
Malala also interacted with students, urging them to pursue their studies and create a brighter future for themselves.
“As a child, I spent every holiday in Shangla, Pakistan, playing by the river and sharing meals with my extended family,” she said on X.
“It was such a joy for me to return there today — after 13 long years — to be surrounded by the mountains, dip my hands in the cold river and laugh with my beloved cousins. This place is very dear to my heart and I hope to return again and again.”
Despite the challenges and risks associated with returning to her hometown, Malala’s presence served as a powerful reminder of the importance of education and her advocacy for girls’ rights globally
