Teenager urges college to withdraw naming honour

Published on 22/12/2012 00:00

A TEENAGER shot by the Taleban for promoting girls’ education has urged Pakistan to reverse a decision to rename a college in her honour to prevent militant attacks on students, an official claimed yesterday.

Malala Yousufzai, 15, who became a symbol of Pakistani youth resistance to the Taleban, made the request after pupils broke into the school, tore down pictures of her and boycotted classes in her home town of Mingora. They said renaming the school put their lives at risk.

Senior government official Kamran Rehman said Malala had called him from London, where she was being treated for critical wounds following the ­attack outside the school in October. The Taleban said it had targeted her for promoting secular education for girls.

Her case drew publicity for women’s rights in Pakistan, and the Taleban – which has a strong presence in Pakistan’s tribal regions bordering Afghanistan – vowed to target her again.