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   British, Pakistani, UAE Ministers Visit Wounded Pakistani Girl's Hospital

   by VOA News

   Ministers from Pakistan, Britain and the United Arab Emirates have
   visited the hospital where a Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban is
   being treated, calling her a symbol of courage and determination.
   Pakistani Taliban gunmen opened fire on Malala Yousafzai on October 9,
   as she returned home from school in Pakistan's northwestern Swat
   Valley.  The teenager was internationally known for speaking out in
   favor of girls' education and against the militant group who had taken
   over her hometown three years ago.
   On Monday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, Emirati Foreign
   Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed and Pakistani Interior Minister
   Rehman Malik visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the British city of
   Birmingham.   Malala Yousafzai has been at the hospital for the past
   two weeks and remains in stable condition after being shot in the head
   and neck.   She is able to talk and to walk with help.
   The British Foreign Office said the ministers met the hospital's
   medical director and Yousafzai's father, who arrived in Britain last
   week with the girl's mother and two brothers.  He said Malala will
   return to Pakistan after she recovers.
   British Foreign Secretary Hague said Monday that "Malala's swift and
   full recovery is our absolute priority, but we are also determined to
   do all we can to champion education for women and girls in Pakistan."
   He noted that "the people of Pakistan have paid a high price from
   terrorism and extremism.  We will stand by all those who, like Malala,
   are courageously defending the rights of women, in Pakistan and around
   the world."

   Emirati Foreign Minister Zayed said the people of the UAE were
   "appalled" by what happened to Malala and that is why the UAE provided
   the air ambulance to transport her from Pakistan to Britain for further
   medical treatment.
   Zayed added that "Malala's courage inspires us to reinforce our
   commitment to rejecting ideologies rooted in intolerance and
   extremism."  The minister said "by helping Malala, whose courage we
   applaud, the UAE is also voicing its firm belief in the right of girls
   to education everywhere."
   Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said his government is
   thankful to Britain and the UAE for their "strong support to Malala and
   to Pakistan."

   Malik said the attack on Malala was "meant to tarnish the true face of
   Pakistan and to discourage those struggling for human liberties and for
   the democratization of our society."
   The Pakistani interior minister "such acts of cowardice will not deter
   us, and the whole Pakistani nation stands behind Malala and her cause."
   He noted that "we will do whatever possible to take Pakistan on the
   path of peace and moderation, as envisioned by our founding fathers."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1535368.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1535368.html