The People's Record

Malala stable after surgeries today
February 3, 2013

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban, has undergone two successful surgeries to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing.

A statement released on Sunday by Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the British hospital where the 15-year-old is being treated in, said Yousafzai is currently in stable condition.

“She is awake and talking to staff and members of her family,” said the statement, adding that she would continue to recover in the hospital until she is well enough to be discharged.

The teenager drew the world’s attention by being shot and critically wounded by Taliban fighters on October 9, as she walked home from school in northwestern Pakistan.

The group said they targeted her because she promoted girls’ education and “Western thinking”.

At age 11, Malala began to write a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC about life under the Taliban in the Swat Valley, where she lived.

After Pakistan’s military ousted the Taliban in 2009, she began publicly speaking out about the need for girls’ education. She appeared frequently in the media and was given one of the country’s highest civilian honours for her bravery.

Malala was airlifted to Britain from Pakistan in October to receive specialised medical care and protection against further Taliban threats.

She is expected to remain in the UK for some time after her father, Ziauddin, was given a diplomatic post based in the English city of Birmingham.

So far, doctors say she has made very good progress. She was able to stand, write and return home, and doctors said they have seen minimum signs of brain damage.

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