Malala Discharged From UK Hospital, While Murders Of Educators In Pakistan Continue

Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for her advocacy of women's education, has been temporarily discharged from a hospital in the United Kingdom and will continue to rehabilitate at home.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where the Pakistani government flew her to in mid-October, will bring her back in a few weeks to perform major surgery on her skull, Agence France-Presse reported.

Malala, 15, will stay at her family’s temporary home in an undisclosed in the West Midlands, the hospital said in a statement.

“She is still due to be readmitted in late January or early February to undergo cranial reconstructive surgery as part of her long-term recovery, and, in the meantime, she will visit the hospital regularly to attend clinical appointments,” the hospital added.

BBC reported that West Midlands Police will continue to work with the Birmingham hospital and Malala’s family "to provide support and liaison as Malala recuperates from her injuries."

The Pakistani government is reportedly paying for all of her medical treatment and for the house she and her family, including two brothers, is staying in.

“Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery,” the hospital’s medical director, Dave Rosser, said.

Since her near-fatal shooting, Malala has become a global icon, with many around the world calling for her to be honored with next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Separately, Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, has been given a job as the education attaché for the Pakistani consulate in Birmingham for a three-year period, which could be extended for another two years.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Malala wants to return to Pakistan, despite the continuing threats on her life from militants and terrorists. However, she is likely to remain in Britain for a lengthy period of time during which she undergoes more surgery and recuperates.

The danger to women educators and students in Pakistan was highlighted on Tuesday when gunmen killed seven teachers and aid workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province -- the same area where Malala was attacked three months ago.

The seven were in a van travelling home from a community center in the town of Swabi.