Malala Yousafzai makes her first visit to home since shooting

Nobel peace prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has returned to Pakistan nearly six years after she was shot in the head by the Taliban.

The 20-year-old activist arrived Thursday at Benazir Bhutto International Airport after which she was moved to a local hotel amid strict security after her arrival. 

Exclusive footage: Malala Yousufzai returns to Pakistan after five years #MalalainPakistan https://t.co/QyZwtcBm6P pic.twitter.com/JgHJEOPxQM

— Geo English (@geonews_english) March 28, 2018

Ms. Yousafzai is scheduled to stay in Pakistan for four days. Her visit was kept secret due to security reasons, according to sources.

Malala would discuss the prospects of promoting education in less-developed areas of the country with Pakistani authorities during her stay in Pakistan, said officials.

It is still not clear whether Malala would visit her hometown of Swat, where she suffered the assassination by Taliban militants for actively supporting girls’ right to education.

At the age of 11, Malala began writing for the BBC Urdu service about life under strict Taliban rule and the importance of girls’ schooling.

In October 2012, Malala, then 15 years old, was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen as she was returning from her school in Swat valley.

After surviving the attack, she was put in a medically induced coma and airlifted to Britain for surgery.

The shooting drew widespread international condemnation.

She has become an internationally recognized symbol of resistance to the Taliban's efforts of denying women education and other rights.

In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 in recognition of her efforts for children's rights. She shared the prize with Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist from India.

“I hope that I can go back to Pakistan sometime and see my country”, Malala told when asked about her plans for the future while speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) session, titled "An Insight, An Idea with Malala Yousafzai" in January 2018.

“It is just so hard if you haven't seen your home, your relatives, and your friends for more than five years. I didn't leave the country by choice it was the circumstances that forced me. So I want to go back to Pakistan”, she said.

Speaking of Swat, her hometown, Malala stated, "It is just like a paradise on Earth."

Malala Yousafzai is currently continuing her own education studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University.

5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls' education. Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford. pic.twitter.com/sXGnpU1KWQ

— Malala (@Malala) October 9, 2017