Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has faced a backlash after the premier of a Broadway musical she co-produced with former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, AFP reports.

The musical, titled “Suffs” and playing in New York since last week, depicts the American women’s suffrage campaign for the right to vote in the 20th century.

However, Yousafzai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, has been condemned by some for partnering with Clinton, an outspoken supporter of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians.

Pakistan has seen many pro-Palestinian protests since the fighting in Gaza began last October.

Whilst Clinton has backed a military campaign to remove Hamas and rejected demands for a ceasefire, she has also explicitly called for protections for Palestinian civilians.

Yousafzai has publically condemned the civilian casualties and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The New York Times reported the 26-year-old wore a red-and-black pin to the “Suffs” premier last Thursday, signifying her support for a ceasefire.

But author and academic Nida Kirmani said on X that Yousafzai’s decision to partner with Clinton was “maddening and heartbreaking at the same time. What an utter disappointment.”

Lahore-based academic and activist Dr Ammar Ali Jan said Yousufzai’s decision to associate with Clinton was an “endorsement” of a “grotesque history of imperial violence” due to the latter’s past.

Journalist Zarrar Khuhro termed her as a “tool of empire”.