Bravo Pakistani Malala Yousufzai wins Tipperary International Peace Award

For her courage and determination to speak out in support of equal access to education for children, brave Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai was awarded the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award from Ireland.

Malala was one of five nominees, including US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, President of Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi, former Kenyan journalist John Githongo and Pax Christi International, the Catholic human rights and peace organization.

Malala, 15, is recovering at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where she was brought from Pakistan on October 15.

She was shot on her school bus in northwestern Swat in October by Pakistani Taliban gunmen for promoting girls’ education and speaking against the militant group. However, she survived the murder attempt.

Malala first rose to prominence aged just 11 with a blog for the BBC Urdu service in 2009 in which she described life in Swat during the bloody rule of the Taliban.

The Tipperary Peace Convention said, “Malala’s courage has proved to be an inspiration around the globe. The right to education is denied to 61 million children of primary school age around the world and the hopes of these children are represented by the courage, determination and by the voice of Malala Yousafzai.”

It further stated, “The Taliban tried and failed to silence her and have instead amplified her voice.”

Previous recipients of the award include former South African president Nelson Mandela, former US president Bill Clinton, Former President of Ireland Prof Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese and former prime minister of Pakistan the late Benazir Bhutto.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=36859

Posted by Web Desk on Jan 4 2013. Filed under National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.