Swat girl to be awarded National Peace Prize :
Malala, who studies in grade eight, became the first Pakistani to be
nominated for the International Children’s Peace prize.
The 13-year-old beat 93 contestants from 42 countries to be nominated for
the prize.
Premier Gilani has directed the Cabinet Division to constitute the
National Peace Prize to be awarded to children on annual basis.
Children under 18 years of age will be awarded the prize for their
contribution towards peace and education.
Malala fell short in getting the International Peace Price by Nobel
laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which went to a South African
handicapped girl.
Malala was nominated because she alone raised her voice for girls’
education during the mayhem in Swat, in which girls were not only banned
from attaining education, but their schools were destroyed as well.
She successfully used the national and international media to let the
world know about violations of their rights. She fought bravely for
girls’ rights in the militancy-hit Swat, focusing on their right to
education.
Malala credited her father Ziauddin Yousufzai and her teachers for
supporting her in her cause.