Malala’s father says response turning point

BIRMINGHAM - Reuters

The father of a Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls’ education said she would “rise again” to pursue her dreams after hospital treatment.

Malala Yousufzai, 15, was flown from Pakistan to Britain for specialist treatment after the Oct. 9 attack, which drew widespread international condemnation.

The father Ziauddin Yousufzai and other family members arrived in Britain on Oct. 25 to help her recovery.

“They wanted to kill her. But she fell temporarily. She will rise again. She will stand again,” he told reporters, his voice breaking with emotion.

Malala has become a powerful symbol of resistance to the Taliban’s efforts to deny women education.

Public fury in Pakistan over her shooting has put pressure on the military to mount an offensive against militant group.

“When she fell, Pakistan stood ... this is a turning point,” her father said. “(In) Pakistan for the first time ... all political parties, the government, the children, the elders, they were crying and praying to God.” The Taliban have said they attacked her because she spoke out against the group and praised U.S. President Barack Obama.