Malala Yousafzai returns to childhood home in Pakistan after 13 years

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai made an emotional return to her home village in Pakistan’s Shangla district, 13 years after surviving an assassination attempt by Taliban militants.

Yousafzai was just 15 when she was shot in the head by militants who boarded her school bus in Swat Valley, near the Afghanistan border. After being evacuated to the United Kingdom, she has rarely visited the region, making this her first trip back to her childhood home since the attack.

“As a child, I spent every holiday in Shangla, Pakistan, playing by the river and sharing meals with my extended family,” she wrote on X. “It was such a joy for me to return there today—after 13 long years—to be surrounded by the mountains, dip my hands in the cold river, and laugh with my beloved cousins.”

Accompanied by her father, husband, and brother, Yousafzai’s high-security visit lasted only three hours. Authorities took extensive precautions, sealing off the area to ensure her safety, as militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has surged since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

During her visit, Yousafzai stopped at local education projects supported by her Malala Fund. The Pakistan Taliban, responsible for her attempted assassination, had banned girls from attending school when she was a child—a policy she defied and later fought against as an activist.

Her visit coincided with a deadly suicide attack in the region, prompting her to call for peace. “The recent attacks, including in Bannu yesterday, are heartbreaking,” she said.