Father of Malala, Pakistani schoolgirl activist shot by Taliban, given diplomatic post in UK

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — The father of a teenage Pakistani activist shot in the head by Taliban for advocating girls’ education has been given a diplomatic post in the U.K.

Malala Yousufzai has been recovering at a hospital in Birmingham, England, after she was shot in October in Pakistan. The Taliban have vowed to target her again.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, confirmed a BBC report Wednesday saying that Malala’s father, Ziauddin, has been appointed Pakistan’s education attache in Birmingham.

The position — with an initial 3-year commitment — virtually guarantees Malala will remain in the U.K.

Malala’s case won worldwide recognition for the struggle for women’s rights in Pakistan. In a sign of her reach, the 15-year-old made the shortlist for Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2012.

14:20ET 02-01-13