Post date: Oct 12, 2012 9:24:59 PM
Pakistanis pray for the quick recovery of schoolgirl Malala who is recovering after beingshot by Taliban gunmen. Analyst predicts the incident will change perceptions of theTaliban.
KARACHI, PAKISTAN (OCTOBER 12, 2012) (REUTERS) - Pakistanis held payers on Friday (October 12) for the quick recovery of schoolgirlMalala Yousufzai, who is fighting for her life after being shot by Taliban gunmen.
On Tuesday (October 9), two men stopped the bus Malala was riding home in. They asked for her by name, and fired at her, also hitting two other girls in the van. One of them remains in critical condition.
Shot in the head and the neck, 14 year old Yousufzai still lies unconscious in a military hospital in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, unaware that world leaders from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to U.S. President Barack Obama have pledged support for her.In Memon Masjid, one of the main mosques in the southern port city of Karachi, theImam led prayers.
"Oh, the merciful God! Today, on this prayer day, please grant early and complete recovery to Malala and her wounded friends," prayed the Imam, Maulana Ikram ul Mustafa.
The shooting has drawn condemnation from across the globe.
Authorities have identified her attackers, according to regional governor Masood Kausar, and the local government has posted a 10 million rupee ($104,657) reward for their capture.
The attack outraged many in Pakistan, with small, impromptu rallies held in Yousufzai's support in many cities. Schools also closed across Swat in protest over the shooting and a small demonstration was held in her hometown of Mingora.
Pakistan's president, prime minister, and heads of various opposition parties joined human rights group Amnesty International and the United Nations in condemning the attack.
Analyst Agha Masood Hussain said outrage triggered by the incident will change perceptions about Taliban.
"This attack actually has exposed Taliban, and they were championing the cause of Islam. Now people have come to realise, even those people who have some sympathy with them, they have come to realise that they are not Muslims, they are bandits, they are criminals, and they want to check the spread of education, the enlightenment, and (then) they want to take people back into the era where, you know, there was total ignorance and illiteracy," said Hussain.
People on the street strongly condemned the attack.
"Our religion is to spread peace. There is no reason to kill someone. This incident will make a difference to Taliban support because such an act will bring more notoriety to them," said shopkeeper Farhat Hussain in Karachi.
"I think it was a target killing, specially targeted for Malala. And poor girl, she had no idea. It was a very cowardly thing to do," added school principal, Afshan Toru, in Islamabad.
Malala was targeted by the Taliban after years of speaking out against them. At the age of 11 she began writing a blog after the Taliban ordered the closure of girls' schools in her area, including the one she attended. She had previously received death threats.