queenlizhospital-AFP-670
A general view of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, on Oct 15, 2012, where Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban gunmen, was flown for medical treatment. — Photo by AFP

LONDON: Several people claiming to be relatives of Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban, tried to enter the British hospital where she was being treated, an official said Tuesday.

The medical director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where Malala is in intensive care stressed that the incidents did not create any security concerns and police said nobody was arrested.

“We have had some, I guess I would say, irritating incidents overnight and I understand that a number of people have been arrested but there are no security concerns,” hospital medical director David Rosser told journalists.

“I understand that a number of people turned up claiming to be members of Malala's family – which we don't believe to be true – and have been arrested.”

However a police spokeswoman denied that any arrests were made.

“We are investigating what happened but I can confirm that there were no arrests,” the spokeswoman for West Midlands Police told AFP.

The teenager spent a comfortable first night in the hospital, Rosser said, after she arrived in Birmingham in central England on a flight from Pakistan on Monday.

In an attack which outraged the world, Malala was shot on a school bus in the former Taliban stronghold of the Swat valley last Tuesday as a punishment for campaigning for the right to an education.

Opinion

Merging for what?

Merging for what?

The concern is that if the government is thinking of cutting costs through the merger, we might even lose the functionality levels we currently have.

Editorial

Dubai properties
Updated 16 May, 2024

Dubai properties

It is hoped that any investigation that is conducted will be fair and that no wrongdoing will be excused.
In good faith
16 May, 2024

In good faith

THE ‘P’ in PTI might as well stand for perplexing. After a constant yo-yoing around holding talks, the PTI has...
CTDs’ shortcomings
16 May, 2024

CTDs’ shortcomings

WHILE threats from terrorist groups need to be countered on the battlefield through military means, long-term ...
Reserved seats
Updated 15 May, 2024

Reserved seats

The ECP's decisions and actions clearly need to be reviewed in light of the country’s laws.
Secretive state
15 May, 2024

Secretive state

THERE is a fresh push by the state to stamp out all criticism by using the alibi of protecting national interests....
Plague of rape
15 May, 2024

Plague of rape

FLAWED narratives about women — from being weak and vulnerable to provocative and culpable — have led to...