Fri Jan 10 08:00:12 UTC 2025: ## Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai to Attend Pakistan Summit on Girls’ Education
**Islamabad, Pakistan –** Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai will return to her native Pakistan to participate in a major summit on girls’ education. The two-day summit, beginning Saturday in Islamabad, will bring together ministers, ambassadors from 44 countries, and representatives from the UN and World Bank. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the event.
Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 for her activism, confirmed her attendance via social media. She stated her intention to address the critical issue of girls’ education and hold the Taliban accountable for their treatment of Afghan women and girls. Afghanistan, Pakistan’s neighbor, currently bans girls and women from attending schools and universities.
The summit aims to reaffirm the Muslim community’s commitment to empowering girls through education, contrasting sharply with the Taliban’s policies in Afghanistan. The Taliban’s austere interpretation of Islamic law has led to what the UN has termed “gender apartheid,” severely restricting women’s access to education and employment.
Yousafzai’s presence at the summit is significant, given her own experience as a victim of militant violence and her subsequent rise as a global advocate for girls’ education. Her participation underscores the urgent need to address the challenges faced by girls in accessing education within Muslim communities.
First Piper 