The anti-terror message from the shooting of Malala Yousafzai has clearly resonated with Pakistan, said the U.S. State Department in the backdrop of the nation’s unprecedented show of solidarity with the teenaged girls’ rights activist and her cause for education.
Spokesman Mark Toner said the message emanating from the Taliban attack against the schoolgirl in Swat could not have been clearer and that it has strengthened the Pakistanis’ resolve.
“When you’re talking about the right of young girls to receive an education and the fact that these individuals, these terrorists, are looking to wipe out or stop these girls from access to education, access to their very basic rights. I think it was a clear message to the Pakistani people, one that’s clearly resonated with them, and I think it strengthened their resolve,” Toner remarked.
The 14-year-old Ms Yousafzai is now under advanced treatment in Birmingham, UK after the incident and initial treatment in Pakistan.
The Taliban attack – which has been reportedly traced back to militant leader Mullah Fazlullah, who is hiding in Kunar area of Afghanistan – drew strong condemnation from the Pakistani leadership and galvanized the Pakistani society and political mainstream behind the girls’ right to an education in the militancy-hit areas.
