Malala's Nobel is 'for all girl students of Pakistan'

LAHORE, Pakistan — Young students in Malala Yousafzai's home region were thrilled Friday at the announcement the Pakistani schoolgirl targeted by the Taliban won this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

"There are not many people in this world — in fact, no one — who is as brave as Malala," said Badrai Khan, 19, a college student from Swat, Malala's home region. "This award is an achievement for all girl students of Pakistan."

Malala, who became well-known two years ago after being injured in an attack by the Taliban, was honored for her work promoting schooling for girls worldwide, the Nobel committee said.

"Tomorrow, when I go to school, I'll be a different, more confident girl, thanks to Malala and this recognition," Khan said.

Malala, 17, shares the award with another South Asian education activist: Indian national Kailash Satyarthi, 60, who has worked to fight the exploitation of children.

"When speaking about child rights in India, the first name to come to mind for advocates across the country is Kailash," said Mohit Raj, founder of the Turn Your Concern Into Action Foundation, a child rights organization in Delhi, India. "His win is an inspiration for all of us working for child rights in India on the power of tenacity and passion to bring about positive social change."

For some, the recognition of Malala's work is simply a formality.

"Malala won the award the day she came out openly to encourage girls' education," said Qajeer Gul, 27, a shopkeeper in Peshawar. "This Nobel is a formality as we already respect her. I was inspired by her and asked my father to get my sisters admitted in school — such is her impact on us."

Malala was shot in the head and the neck by a member of the Taliban as she rode home from school in Swat in 2012. The then-15-year-old was targeted for being outspoken about women's rights to education.

She was taken to a hospital in Birmingham in the U.K. for treatment and recovery. Today, she attends school in the city.

Malala is the youngest person by eight years to win the Nobel Prize and joins the ranks of laureates including Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.

"Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations," the Nobel committee said. "This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle, she has become a leading spokesperson for girls' rights to education."

Malala was only 11 when she started giving TV interviews and spreading her message of the importance of girls' education. At the time, the Taliban had taken over her hometown of Mingora, threatened to blow up girls' schools and imposed burqas — the head-to-toe garment worn by some devout Muslim women — on teachers and students.

Since recovering from the attempt on her life, she has lent her voice to other girls denied an education, such as those kidnapped in April by the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram.

In also awarding the prize to Satyarthi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it "regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism."

For Ramesh Menon, a businessman in Cochin, India, it is remarkable for Satyarthi to be recognized more internationally than at home.

"He's an almost unknown man in India, but he has done an enormous amount of work for children, especially those bonded and enslaved," he said. "The world recognizes him before India even knows he exists."

Mandal reported from Kolkata, India.