UN day on Pakistani girl injured in Taliban attack observed

School children in Pakistan on Saturday offered special prayers for Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year- old girl shot and injured by Taliban in the country's northwestern Swat valley last month for her quest to promote education among the girls, local media reported. The United Nations had announced to observe'Malala Day'on Saturday to pay tributes to Yousafzai, who is now getting medical treatment in the UK. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had extended his support to the young girl and her fight for education, describing her as the "global symbol"of every girl's right to education in his video message. Ban Ki-moon's Special Envoy for Global Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Islamabad on Friday on a three-day visit to participate in functions to mark "Global Day of Action for Malala Yousafzai". Yousafzai was attacked in Swat valley for her quest to promote girls'education and is now under treatment in a hospital in Britain. Gordon Brown spoke at a function along with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who launched an initiative whereby over 3 million children of the poor families of the country would be provided financial assistance for enrolling them in primary schools in next four years. The former British Prime Minister also presented to President Asif Ali Zardari a petition carrying 1 million signatures of the people across the world to show solidarity with Malala Yousafzai, presidential spokesman said. The president also signed the petition during the ceremony. Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf issued special messages to praise Yousafzai for her courage and said that handful of militants can not impose their will on the people and that they would take steps for the promotion of girls education in Pakistan. Special functions were arranged across Pakistan at the official level and in educational institutions to mark the UN day on Malala Yousafzai. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain was chief guest at a function in Peshawar. He said that all brave men and women, who had given sacrifices against the scourge of terrorism, are celebrating Malala Day in Pakistan. The minister thanked the international community for standing up for Malala. In the country's southwestern city of Quetta, a science exhibition was organized to mark Malala Day. Students paid tributes to Malala Yousafzai for her courage to work for the promotion of education despite threats by the Taliban in Swat valley. In Lahore, school children organized functions and vowed to work like Malala to promote education especially among girls.