Malala Yousafzai – The ‘Nobel’ Daughter of Pakistan

By Mirza Khurram Shahzad – 

Malala has proved One-Girl-Army against the forces of extremism and darkness

Exactly after two years when she was shot in the head, Malala Yousafzai became the second Pakistani ever to have won the Nobel.

Though she shared the peace prize with the Indian Child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, she provided a rare chance to Pakistani nation to feel proud among the international community for something much positive and laudable. Earlier this opportunity arose in 1979, when Pakistani scientist Abdus Salam won a Nobel for Physics. Thus Malala became the first Pakistani who won Nobel Peace Prize.

Having born on July 12, 1997 in Pakistan’s paradise Swat, Malala herself is a prize for this nation. This immensely talented and the most famous teenager is an extraordinary personality who is known all over the world for her struggle to promote education and yet she is living an ordinary and simple life.

When she first started writing her blog for BBC Urdu service in 2009, nobody thought this 12-year-old girl would soon become a symbol of bravery, courage and activism. But the times that came later changed her destiny and the destiny of her country as well which now has such a talented, courageous and famous young representative gradually turning into a national leader.

The Born Leader

As the Time magazine wrote in 2012, this super-talented teen of Pakistan was following path of a leader from early childhood.

“By the time she was 2½, she was sitting in class with 10-year-olds, according to a close family friend and teacher at the school founded by Malala‘s father. The little girl with the huge hazel eyes didn’t say much, but “she could follow, and she never got bored,” says the teacher, who asked to remain anonymous for fear that she too might become a Taliban target. Malala loved the school, a rundown concrete-block building with a large rooftop terrace open to views of the snowcapped mountains that surround the Swat Valley. As she grew older, she was always first in her class. “She was an ordinary girl with extraordinary abilities,” says the teacher, “but she never had a feeling of being special,” Aryn Baker wrote in Malala’s profile.

The Message – Loud and Clear

When Taliban shot her in the head as she was boarding school bus back to home in October 2010, their aim was to silence her. Instead, that incident took her message for peace and education to all over the world with more clarity and loudly.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world,” her words in the United Nations last year have now become the most popular quote for the promotion of education in the world.

Grooming

But when there is no denial to her talents, wisdom and courage, it’s also matter of the fact that her father Ziauddin Yousafzai is the man who deserves credit for her grooming.

“I did not clip her wings,” he said in an interview most recently.

Ziauddin recognised the talents of Malala from the very early age and provided her all required chances and grooming to polish her skills.

Conspiracy Theories

But it’s very unfortunate that there are many people who accuse Malala and her father of being ‘agents of the West’ without having any evidence to prove their accusations. “The conspiracy theories have become a norm in our society. People accuse others particularly the famous people without any evidence and this is what happened with Malala Yousafzai,” Says Mobarik A Virk, a senior journalist based in Islamabad.

“But the sad and very unfortunate element is that the whole society has been divided in pro-Malala and Anti Malala camps. This is very disturbing,” he said.

Those, who oppose Malala, think she is being prepared to serve U.S. and other western powers’ interests in Pakistan. “Malala Yousafzai is a part of mega international game to be played in Pakistan in future,” said Asadullah Khan, a student of a seminary in Islamabad.

“Jews and Christians are training her to launch her as their agent in Pakistan in the coming years. That’s why they have kept her in London,” he said, adding: “The CIA and MI6 will one day help her to become Prime Minister of Pakistan and then they will use her for their own purpose. This is the only reason that they have taken her whole family to Europe.”

Another student of the same seminary in sector F-6, Irshad Hameed said that attack on Malala was also a fraud. “It was totally a drama. If Taliban wanted to kill her, she would not survive. It is surprising that a minor girl is shot in the head and survives even after travelling many thousand kilometers. It can only happen in Hollywood movies or CIA sponsored conspiracies,” he said.  “Even Pakistani rulers and other politicians are part of this conspiracy. That’s why she has won prizes all over the world, from an unworthy Youth Award of Pakistan to the Nobel Prize,” he added.

The Real Heroin

Despite that the Young Ayeza Shabeer, a student of fourth grade in one of Islamabad schools, respects Malala as the real heroin of Pakistan.

“She is a role model. I want to be like her, I want to be famous like Malala Yousafzai. I am Malala Yousafzai,” she said.

 The writer is an Islamabad-based senior journalist and works for AFP