Malala Yousafzai eyes politics to ‘change the future’ of Pakistan

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot by the Taliban last year for campaigning for girls’ education, said on Monday she hoped to become a politician to “change the future of my country”.

The 16-year-old, whose continued fight for all children to go to school has made her a favourite for the Nobel Peace Prize this week, also backed dialogue with the Taliban, although she said this was an issue for the government.

“I will be a politician in my future. I want to change the future of my country and I want to make education compulsory,” Malala said in a BBC interview.

She added: “The best way to solve problem and to fight against war is through dialogue, and is through peaceful way.

“But for me the best way to fight against terrorism and extremism is a simple thing – educate the next generation.”

She added that issues of terrorism are “not an issue for me, that’s the job of the government ... and that’s also the job of America”.