Kabul gathering pays tribute to Malala

KABUL activists on Monday said Afghan officials should attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony slated for Dec. 10 in Oslo.

Malala from Pakistan’s Swat district and Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights campaigner, have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of just 17, Malala is the youngest ever recipient of the prize.

In Kabul, a number of civil society activists,  culturists, university students and representatives of government offices paid tribute to Malala for her heroic struggle for the cause of child education at a gathering here.

One of the event organisers, Prof. Abdul Jabbar Sappand told Pajhwok Afghan News Malala did not make Afghanistan alone to proud of her but the entire Asia.

He said Afghans welcomed the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 2014 Nobel Peace prize to Malala.

Malala was shot in the face and neck almost exactly two years ago by Taliban insurgents who at the time ruled her Swat valley and were opposed to girls’ education.

She was on her way home with other classmates in her school van when a Taliban assassin stopped the vehicle and asked “who is Malala.” As the terrified schoolgirls identified Malala, the gunman opened fire, also wounding another two girls.

A seriously wounded Malala was taken to a hospital in Peshawar then flown to the UK for better treatment.

Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Razaq Tawhidi, who attended the gathering, said awarding the Noble Prize to Malala could be a good omen for peace in Afghanistan.

Calling Malala a courageous girl, he said: “We should support individuals who are fighting against tyranny and facing hardships in their way.”

At the end, participants issued a resolution that asked the Afghan government to send officials to the Nobel Prize handover ceremony and raise the voice of Afghans for peace in their country.

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