Malala visits former hometown in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani activist for educating girls who is the world’s youngest Nobel laureate, visited her hometown in Pakistan on Saturday for the first time since the Taliban attempted to assassinate her in 2012.

Her return under heavy security to the city of Mingora in the Swat Valley — a former Taliban stronghold — was a deeply emotional moment for Yousufzai and her family.

“I wish to be in Swat, to be among you and serve you,” Yousufzai, 20, said with tears in her eyes as she met with former schoolmates and relatives at her old family house. “It is still like a dream for me to be among you,” she said, her voice quavering.

Yousufzai’s visit reflected how Pakistan has changed and how it hasn’t since the attempt on her life more than five years ago. The Taliban are all but banished from Swat, but many Pakistanis are still deeply suspicious of Yousufzai’s mission to educate girls and empower women.

In October 2012, a Taliban militant boarded the school bus Yousufzai was riding home, asking “Who is Malala?” before shooting her. Critically wounded, she received medical treatment first in Pakistan and later in Britain, where doctors spent months rebuilding her skull. After her recovery, she and her family stayed in Britain, where she is studying at the University of Oxford and continuing her advocacy work.

During her visit, Yousufzai praised the Pakistani army for forcing the Taliban out of Swat and giving her medical treatment.

On Saturday morning, Yousufzai flew in a government helicopter from the capital, Islamabad, to the Swat Valley accompanied by her parents, two brothers and Marriyum Aurangzeb, the Pakistani state minister for information. They briefly visited the rental house in Mingora where the family once lived, and they were warmly welcomed by the new residents. Yousufzai was in tears when she entered the house.

She says she plans to return to live in Pakistan after completing her education in Britain.