God willing I will return to Pakistan soon: Malala Yousafzai

Islamabad, Dec 12: Pakistan's Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has said that she intends to return to Pakistan next year, media reported on Friday.

"God willing I will return to Pakistan very soon," the 17-year-old Nobel laureate said during an interview in Oslo. "Next year when my GCSE exams finish God willing I will most certainly return."

The teenager is the youngest ever Nobel winner. When she was 15, a Taliban gunman shot her in the head over her campaign for girls' education.

Although her injuries had almost killed her, she recovered after being flown for extensive surgery in Britain's Birmingham city. She has been based in England with her family ever since, continuing both her education and activism.

On winning the Nobel peace prize, Yousafzai said she feels honoured with it.

"Winning the peace prize is a great honour for me and the country, this award is for all the children who raise their voice for their rights," Dawn quoted her as saying.

She said the award's prize money will be spent on Pakistani children's education. "I want to start by helping my hometown Swat and Shangla where there is a need for secondary schools."

Yousafzai received the Nobel Peace Prize Wednesday along with child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi of India.

IANS