Malala Yousafzai plans on a permanent return to Pakistan

A Geo News screengrab of Malala Yousafzai during her interview with Hamid Mir ISLAMABAD: Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and education activist, said on Friday that she plans on a permanent return to Pakistan after completing her education. Malala who is pursuing a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University spoke to Hamid Mir, anchor of Geo News programme Capital Talk, in her first interview to a news channel since returning to Pakistan after being shot by the Taliban in 2012. "My plan is to return to Pakistan as this is my country. I have the same right on the country as any another Pakistani,? Malala said during the interview which will be broadcast at 7:05pm. Malala reiterated her joy of being in Pakistan and her mission of providing education to children. ?We want to work for the education of children and make it possible that every girl in Pakistan receives a high-level education and she can fulfil her dreams and become a part of society.? When asked if she saw a difference in the Pakistan of 2012 and 2018, Malala said: "Certainly there is a difference and things are improving. People in our country are uniting for a better Pakistan. People are active, which is a very good thing.? Malala said she appreciated the role of the then Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani in her treatment. ?My treatment here [Pakistan] was by Army doctors and if they had not done my surgery in time I would not be here today.? The 20-year-old also thanked the Army and government for the role they played in her return to the county, adding that without them this would not have been possible. Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai addressing a gathering during the Reception to welcome her at the Prime Ministers Office on March 29, 2018 - INP Malala returned to Pakistan in a surprise visit in the early hours of Thursday. She met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and addressed a gathering at the PM House. ?I am very happy and still can?t believe that this is happening?In the past five years I had always dreamt of stepping foot in my country,? Malala said as she slightly broke down speaking about her return. In October 2012, Yousafzai ? then 15 years old ? was shot in the head at point-blank range by Taliban gunmen as she was returning from her school in Swat valley. She suffered bullet injuries and was admitted to the military hospital Peshawar but was later flown to London for further treatment. The shooting drew widespread international condemnation. She has become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance to the Taliban's efforts of denying women education and other rights. In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 in recognition of her efforts for children's rights.