From Gul Makai to Nobel Peace laureate

Little did we know that from mesmerising and beautiful valley of Swat, that has been eclipsed by terror and extremism, will rise a young blogger and education activist, Malala Ziauddin Yousafzai, who will not only raise her voice for her rights, but will also bag a Nobel Peace Prize. When both sides on border are craving for peace, citizens of India and Pakistan are sharing the Nobel Peace prize; could Malala do any better to make the people on both sides to stop and realise the need of the hour?

The teenager from Mingora, Swat, made her people proud becoming second Pakistani person after Mohammad Abdus Salam, a physicist, to win Nobel Prize. But like Salam, who got prize in 1979 never got any recognition in his own country, one hopes Malala will not only be adopted, but her struggle reaches to logical conclusion. She openly fought for her right to education, thus being a voice of many others who have been literally dying to make it to school and back, since the Taliban were not supportive of girls' education. The girls' schools were often bombed or burnt, to be precise. In these tough times, this little girl with nerves of steel took Gul Makai as her blogger-name, and decided to let the world know about the troubles of girls in her region, and their love for education.

No good deed goes without earning itself some admirers and its share of rivals, as well. Malala's struggle earned her some foes, too; only in this case the foes were the much dreaded Taliban. Civil society across the country supported her cause and stood by her, when miss Yousafzai made it to the light for her struggle and then the attack that she survived.

Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif congratulated Malala on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, calling her the "pride" of his country. "She is the pride of Pakistan. She has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparalleled and unequalled. Girls and boys of the world should take the lead from her struggle and commitment," he said in a statement.

Representative of Bullah Shah Foundation, an organisation that has been working in rural and suburban areas of Punjab, Shamim Akhter says that Malala Yousafzai stands tall as a perfect example for girls in Pakistan, as her idol Benazir Bhutto has been a beacon of light for every woman who has been a part of the struggles to empower women in this society.

The global spotlight has provoked a backlash in parts of Pakistani society, with some accusing Malala of acting as a puppet of the West while the Taliban have renewed the threat to her life.

There have also been concerns about exposing a child to such a level of public exposure, although Malala herself has insisted that the circus around her has not affected her personality. Malala went on record saying that her idol was Benazir Bhutto. On the other hand, the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party and Benazir Bhutto's son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, called her "the hope for education, especially for girls, in Pakistan".

"Although the young woman is spending her time outside of Pakistan, but we hope for her to gather up all the knowledge and courage to come back to Pakistan one day and join the politics, to make this country a better place for every citizen, especially the women she stood for," says Namra Hameed, a post-graduation student and the head of debating society at the University of Punjab. The kind of inspiration Malala Yousafzai gives to the girls of Pakistan is exactly what this country needs for its youth, for a better and brighter future.

The writer is a Lahore-based writer and journalist