Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai gets married; Justin Trudeau, Tim Cook send wishes

Nobel Peace Prize winner and campaigner of girls’ right to education, Malala Yousafzai, got married to Asser in UK’s Birmingham on Tuesday.

The 24-year old shared a glimpse of her special day with netizens and tweeted, “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead.”

Netizens including Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, British screenwriter and Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple Vice President Lisa Jackson congratulated the Nobel laureate on her precious day.

Malala gave no information about her husband apart from his first name. Many internet users have identified him as Asser Malik, general manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s High-Performance Centre, as per news agency Reuters.

She is revered for her personal courage and advocating for the rights of girls and women in western countries. Her activism for the rights of girls and women has divided opinion in her home country Pakistan.

As recently as July this year, the 24-year old told the Vogue Magazine that she was not sure if she would marry or not. The comment drew severe criticism from many Pakistani users at the time.

“I still don’t understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can’t it just be a partnership?,” she told the magazine.

Yousafzai garnered global attention in 2012 when the Taliban shot her in the head in north-west Pakistan for campaigning for girls’ right to education. She also wrote a book named ‘I am Malala’, which chronicles the attack on her and its aftermath.

She was 16 years old when she addressed the United Nations (UN) headquarters on the need of gender equality in education.

(With agency inputs)

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