In pictures: Malala's four-day visit to Pakistan

Published March 30, 2018
Malala (C) attends a meeting with Pakistani women’s rights activists in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP
Malala (C) attends a meeting with Pakistani women’s rights activists in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP

Almost six years after Swat’s bravest daughter had to be airlifted for emergency surgery following an assassination attempt, Malala Yousafzai has come back home — though for a brief visit.

Her return marks a significant victory over extremist elements in the country, and gives international credence to the many sacrifices the nation has made over the last decade.

Speaking at a function at PM House in Islamabad, she said: "To tell you the truth, I still can’t believe this is actually happening."

"I was always dreaming for the past five years that I come home… whenever I would travel to London or New York, I would pretend that I was in Pakistan — driving around in Islamabad or Karachi," she said.

Few can lay claim — by the end of their lives — to even half of what Malala has achieved in her youth. She spent her 17th birthday in Nigeria advocating for the freedom of hundreds of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Later that year, she became the youngest winner of the Nobel peace prize.

She questioned United States president Barack Obama on his drone policy in northwest Pakistan. She donated $50,000 to help rebuild the United Nations schools in Gaza, and has established a school for Syrian girls in Lebanon.

Her return to the country has come at a time when Pakistan has been alienated by the US for allegedly “not doing enough” in the fight against terrorism.

Read more: Nostalgic Malala meets PM, pleads for unity

A man picks up an english morning newspaper featuring coverage of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, placed at a stall in Islamabad on March 30, 2018. ─ AFP
A man picks up an english morning newspaper featuring coverage of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, placed at a stall in Islamabad on March 30, 2018. ─ AFP

The car carrying Malala Yousafza and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai (R) leaves for Prime Minister House ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP
The car carrying Malala Yousafza and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai (R) leaves for Prime Minister House ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP

This handout photograph released by the Press Information Department (PID) on March 29, 2018, shows Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (C) meeting with Malala Yousafza (3R) and her family at Prime Minister Office during her visit to Islamabad. ─ AFP
This handout photograph released by the Press Information Department (PID) on March 29, 2018, shows Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (C) meeting with Malala Yousafza (3R) and her family at Prime Minister Office during her visit to Islamabad. ─ AFP

This handout photograph released by the Press Information Department (PID) on March 29, 2018, shows PM Abbasi (C) presenting a shield to Malala at Prime Minister Office during her visit to Islamabad. ─ AFP
This handout photograph released by the Press Information Department (PID) on March 29, 2018, shows PM Abbasi (C) presenting a shield to Malala at Prime Minister Office during her visit to Islamabad. ─ AFP

Activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala (C) attends a meeting with Pakistani women’s rights activists alongside Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (L) in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP
Activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala (C) attends a meeting with Pakistani women’s rights activists alongside Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (L) in Islamabad on March 29, 2018. ─ AFP

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