Father of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by Taliban, pleaded to parents to allow their children “freedom of expression” as he accepted an award on behalf of his daughter on Friday.
Accepting the award for courageous activism, Ziauddin Yousafzai said, “In many countries, fathers and mothers are usually known by their sons. I feel proud to be one of the few fathers, who is known for his daughter.”
“I want to give a message to the world. I didn’t do anything special. As a father, I did one thing, I gave her the right of freedom of expression. All fathers and mothers, give your daughters and sons freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is a most important right. The solution of any conflict is to say the right thing, to speak the truth.”
Malala was given an award for her courageous activism at the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.
Index CEO Kirsty Hughes said, “Malala has shown extraordinary bravery but for a teenager to undertake and understand such intelligent and focused advocacy to advance education is particularly outstanding.”