Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday met Malala Yousufzai, the teenaged schoolgirl who was shot by a Taliban gunman and is being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
He said Malala represented the "resilience" of Pakistani women and had become a symbol of Pakistan’s fight against extremism. Taking care of her was a national responsibility, he said, and assured his government’s continued support to her.
Doctors told him that Malala, who suffered serious skull injuries, was making steady progress and there was a good chance of her making full recovery.
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Malala’s father, Zia-ud-Din Yousafzai, said the family was moved by the President’s gesture. He thanked the Pakistani government for arranging the best possible medical treatment for his daughter.
Malala told him she was “overwhelmed” by his visit. It was her first meeting with someone outside her immediate family. President Zardari’s daughter Aseefa who was with him presented a shawl to Malala.