KARACHI: The world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai on Monday revealed that she had a photo of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in her room at Oxford University.

In a brief interview with the BBC, the 21-year-old activist spoke about what she does in between writing and university life.

“I think for relaxing it's just spending time with friends, playing cricket or just having a bit of gossip or just going for lunch,” she said. Malala, who is starting her second year at Oxford University studying philosophy, politics and economics, has often talked about her love for cricket. “When I say I love cricket, I’m not that good,” she quickly added.

Asked what the Nobel Prize winner did for fun, Ms Yousafzai expressed her liking for British comedy and sitcoms. “I recently watched the Blackadder. Sometimes I watch Yes, Minister and I also like the show Mind Your Language which I know wouldn’t be welcome the same way it was but I find it funny,” she said.

In terms of her university room and how she fares on keeping it clean, the global icon said her mother tells her off for being untidy. “I am not a big fan of posters, but I have a photo of Benazir Bhutto in my room,” she added.

Benazir Bhutto, who became Pakistan’s first female prime minister in 1988, had also attained an undergraduate degree from Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall in the subjects of philosophy, economics and politics.

On Jan 8, Malala’s latest book We are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World was released worldwide. In the latest title, Ms Yousafzai tells her own story and shares the journeys of other young female refugees who’ve been forced from their homes.

“We hear about refugees and immigrants but we never hear from them, especially from young women and girls,” she told the BBC explaining why she wrote the book.

Ms Yousafzai, who belongs to Swat, has been living in Birmingham, UK, since October 2012. Speaking about her own experience of settling in the country as an immigrant, she said: “In the beginning, it was very difficult. But, then I realised when you take a step forward and try to talk to people, it helps.”

“Now I’m proudly Brummie as well,” she quipped.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2019