Malala Yousafzai, a brilliant and courageous girl student, is symbol of constant struggle and does deserve noble peace prize for her sacrifices and immense contribution. She is a proud daughter, sister and an associate known for being a children’s rights activist. At the age of 13 years, she championed the cause of the people of Swat by blogging for the BBC under a pseudonym about the atrocities of the Tehrik-e-Taliban and extremists. The international children’s advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation rightly included Yousafzai among the nominees for the International Children’s Peace Prize, making her the first Pakistani girl nominated for the award. South African Nobel laureate Desmund Tutu announced the nominations during a 2011 ceremony in Amsterdam, Holland, but Yousafzai did not win the prize but made a mark and now this is the right time that she should be given noble peace prize and her immense struggle and contribution must be appreciated and acknowledged.

This was a major accomplishment and an international recognition for her struggle. Despite losing the dream prize Malala Yousafzai, was determined to fight for girls’ education and fulfil the noble cause for which she raised her voice by confronting the forces of darkness. Malala was one of the five nominees chosen out of 98 children that were put forward by organizations and individuals from 42 different countries. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate, announced the five nominees for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2011 in Cape Town. The prize is an initiative of the Dutch organisation Kids Rights and was launched by Kids Rights during 2005 Nobel Peace Laureates’ Summit chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev.

The International Children’s Peace Prize is presented annually to a child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. The last year a child Michaela Mycroft (17) from South Africa was rewarded with the Children’s Peace Prize. Malala who had focused on the right to education, in particular for girls which was banned during the Talibanisation in Pakistan dared to stand up for herself and other girls and used national and international media to let the world know girls should also have the right to go to school.

When asked what was Malala’s reaction after not winning the prize, she said, “I am happy for Michaela for winning the prize as she is a special child and is already working for the disabled children,” adding “in fact, I couldn’t even stop my tears while seeing Michaela receiving the prize as it was hard for her to hold the prize due to her being a disabled child”. She said, “Though I believe that all the five nominees were deserving children, still had the prize been awarded to any of them then I might have felt bad and a question would have arisen in my mind of being discriminated but now I am glad that none other than Michaela won it.” “In fact, I still feel honoured to be nominated for the award and for me its just a beginning as real journey of achieving my goal has yet to be started,” she said adamantly adding that I have been encouraged and more determined rather.

She told, “I had realized the importance of education during the period when the militants had taken hold of the less developed area Swat and destroyed most of the girls schools and colleges,” she added that it was the time when she had made the commitment of raising voice for girls education. “My aim is actually not only to promote girls education but also to establish a forum where kids who work as domestic servants could get education as I have come across many children who do want to go to schools but their families financial constraints have deprived them,” Malala said.

Very few people know that Yousafzai who lives in Mingora, Swat, which was occupied by the Taliban from March 2009 until May 2009, has become an icon and a celebrity to be reckoned with. She rightly exposed the negative mentality of the extremists when she wrote a diary for the BBC under the pseudonym “Gul Makai”, in which she described the deeds of the extremists in Swat and made a newer history.

For her courageous and outstanding services for the promotion of peace under extremely hostile conditions, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the Pakistani government on 19 December 2011. Speaking to the media afterwards, she expressed her intent to form a political party focused on education. The Government Girls Secondary School, Mission Road, was immediately renamed Malala Yousufzai Government Girls Secondary School in her honour.

On 9 October 2012, a gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and shot Malala and the girl who identified her. Malala was shot twice, once in the head and once in the neck, but her wounds were not life-threatening. Ehsanullah Ehsan, the chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, officially claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that she is symbolic of obscenity and has spread negative propaganda. The world has condemned this brutal act by the coward extremists.

This is the story of brave, brilliant and amazing children of Pakistan who are determined to make a difference despite all odds. Let us pay them tribute. They are our real wealth and strategic asset. We all stand for their rights.

The writer is an MNA and Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Human Rights.

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