Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl who
was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education for girls,
has been moved to the UK for further treatment.
As reported on Digital Journal,
14-year-old Malala was shot in the head last Tuesday by a Taliban
insurgent. The attack on her was made due to her campaigning for the
right of young females to education in Pakistan.
Malala was shot in the head and neck while she sat with classmates on a
school bus as it prepared to drive students home from morning classes in
Mingora, a city in the Swat valley.
The attack caused widespread revulsion, both in Pakistan and elsewhere
in the world. It also prompted questions on the state's ability to
tackle militancy.
Malala's life was saved by neurosurgeons in a Pakistani military hospital and she has been in intensive care ever since.
Malala has
been kept sedated and on a ventilator since she was taken to hospital,
with tight security around her, as the Taliban has threatened to attack
her again should she survive.
A Pakistani military spokesman has now said that doctors have now
recommended she be transferred to a UK hospital, and gave the following
statement, "Accordingly, the panel of doctors recommended that Malala be
shifted abroad to a UK center which has the capability to provide
integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury."
"Pakistan has arranged with the United Arab Emirates for a specially
equipped air ambulance which will be used to transfer Malala to the UK."
The costs of transportation and treatment will be borne by the Pakistani government.
The UK Foreign Office said that this move follows an offer made by the UK government to assist in her treatment in any way.
Her flight left Rawalpindi on Monday morning and she is traveling on a specially equipped air ambulance with an army intensive care assistant.
The UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: "Last week's barbaric
attack on Malala Yousafzai and her school friends shocked Pakistan and
the world. Malala's bravery in standing up for the right of all young
girls in Pakistan to an education is an example to us all.
"Malala will now receive specialist medical care in an NHS hospital. Our
thoughts remain with Malala and her family at this difficult time."
Former prime minister, Gordon Brown said, "I know that Britain will
offer Malala the best treatment possible and the British people will
welcome her, hoping and praying for her recovery."
Brown, who is UN Special Envoy for Global Education, said he would be
visiting Pakistan next month to talk with President Zardari about
Malala's cause and girls' education.
Malala's main crime, according to the Taliban, is the diary she kept,
describing how the Pakistan Taliban prevented girls from going to school
when they controlled the Swat Valley in 2009.
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