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All you need to know about Malala Yousafzai & how she leaped to Global fame

By : ABP News Bureau | Updated at : 13 Apr 2017 07:47 AM (IST)

Malala Yousafzai signs a guest book with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai and her mother Tor Pekai Yousafzai look on, at Parliment Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, April 12, 2017. Malala Yousafzai will receive an honorary Canadian citizenship. Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai becomes only the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship, advocating in a speech to parliament for women and girls' education -- a cause dear to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. / AFP PHOTO / Lars Hagberg

Toronto: Pakistani Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai was bestowed honorary Canadian citizenship on Wednesday.

Yousafzai was greeted on the steps of the Centre Block by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as a parade of dignitaries, cabinet ministers and diplomats inside the rotunda beneath the Peace Tower

Moments later, Trudeau presented her with a certificate documenting her as an honorary Canadian, making her the sixth and youngest ever person to receive the honour

"It is not just an honorary citizenship of Canada; it is also being Canada's friend, and I warmly accept it," Yousafzai told the gathering afterward

"I want to thank Canada for its passion for girls' education, for its passion for humanity, for refugees, and for standing up for women's rights, and for peace

"You are a true example to the world of what it means to stand up for humanity, and I'm hopeful you will inspire many more countries and many more leaders to follow your footsteps," she said

At the ceremony, Trudeau said that Malala's story was inspiring. "All the violence you survived at the hands of the Taliban didn't deter you as it would have so many others," Trudeau told the ceremony. "You stood even stronger in the face of oppression; your passion for justice only intensified," he added

Who is Malala? 10-year-old Pakistani activist Malala fought for years for the right to education of girls in Pakistan. She rose to global fame after a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on a school bus in October 2012 for defending her right to attend school. She has been living in the city of Birmingham, where she continues to fight for women's rights. (IANS inputs)

Published at : 13 Apr 2017 07:47 AM (IST)

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Malala Yousafzai Justin Trudeau Taliban Canada