LONDON: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was “heartbroken” by the “senseless” killing of more than 100 schoolchildren on Tuesday in Peshawar.

“I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar,” she said in a statement.

“I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan whose efforts so far to address this horrific event are commendable.”

Seventeen-year-old Malala, who now lives in Britain, became a global icon after she was shot and nearly killed by the Taliban in Swat in October 2012 for insisting that girls had a right to an education.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014