If you recall, Malala Yousafzai, is the 16-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl activist who was shot in the head in October 2012 while she was returning home from school by the Taliban for her activism work with the girl-child education in that country. After her attack, she was flown to a hospital in Britain, where she now lives. Her memoir "I am Malala" was published on Tuesday.
US President Barack Obama and the first family welcomed Malala to the White House on Friday "to thank her for her inspiring and passionate work on behalf of girls' education in Pakistan," a statement from the White House read.....
She had been considered a front-runner for the Nobel Peace Prize and was in Washington to speak at two events.
Malala said in a statement after the meeting that she was honoured to meet with the president, who is aNobel Peace Prize recipient.
"I thanked President Obama for the United States' work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact," she said.
She called for greater cooperation between the governments of the United States and Pakistan.
The president signed a proclamation to mark Friday as the International Day of the Girl. The proclamation says in part that "on every continent, there are girls who will go on to change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the freedom to dream."
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