Malala Yousufzai receives rich applause in Sindh Assembly

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The National Peace Award winner for service to promote education in the troubled Swat valley of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Malala Yousufzai received huge applause from Sindh Assembly, which she attended on Tuesday.

With entering the Sindh Assembly Governor's Gallery, the Speaker Nisar Khohro welcomed the visiting teenage girl while the legislators did it by thumping desks.

The Sindh Assembly had also passed a resolution to appreciate her for promoting education in the volatile Swat valley under the Taliban domination. Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq also announced to name a female school in the province after Malala Yousufzai to remind of her sacrifices to education, besides an award of Rs.5lakh in her efforts' recognition.

Sindh Information Minister, Shazia Mari on Malala's arrival at the Assembly said 'she is the bright face of Pakistan". She said it is a good sign that she is willingly to become a politician.

MQM's female lawmaker, Heer Ismail Soho, welcomed Malala and invited her to the party's head- quarters Nine Zero, saying she had worked hard for education in Swat and defied the Taliban arbitrary rule.

Later, Pir Mazharul Haq handed her a notification of naming a government girls' school after her, which is located on Mansion Road, Karachi. He said the cash award would be deposited in her bank account. Paying tribute to her, he said working for education in areas where schools were being bombed to raze was a great job.

Malala told reporters that she was pleased to attend the Sindh Assembly session which had the credit of being the first assembly to pass a resolution for making Pakistan under the British colonial rule. "The same assembly passed a resolution for me, which is a great honour for me," she appreciated.

She said she would become a lawyer and make her own party to enlist only educated members with roots in all four provinces. However, at present she ruled out joining any political party of the country. She thanked the Sindh Assembly for honouring her, saying the Sindhis are hospitable people.