India had an opportunity to treat Pakistani activist teenager and victim of a Taliban attack, Malala Yousafzai, which was not availed, Indian media reported on Wednesday. Fifteen-year-old Malala, who has become a symbol of girls’ right to education worldwide, was shot by Taliban attackers on October 9. Civil society groups in India and Pakistan, backed by some Awami National Party legislators in Pakistan, approached the Indian establishment to have Malala flown to a private hospital in Mumbai for treatment; Hindustan Times (HT) said quoting its sources. However, according to sources, officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) hesitated on two counts: Malala did not possess valid travel documents- which could have easily been addressed- and such a move might appear to some like a ploy on India’s part to score a brownie point on the back of a human tragedy. When contacted, a PMO official said “there were indeed informal talks on the issue, but there was no formal proposal from any individual or group” to allow Malala to travel to Mumbai for treatment. When asked if India could have made the offer, the official declined to comment.
