“They had a role in the planning and execution of the assassination attempt on Malala.”
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan convicted each of the 10 men on trial for the 2012 attack on Malala Yousafzai to 25 years in jail.
Several other suspects, including the local Taliban leader thought to have given the order, Mullah Fazlullah, is still on the run.
Malala was shot in the head at the age of 15 by members of the Pakistani Taliban in Swat, for speaking up for the rights of girls to be educated. This incident sent shockwaves around the world.
Though her attackers’ charges remain unclear, a police official in Swat commented on the verdict given to the Taliban militants.
The official said: “They had a role in the planning and execution of the assassination attempt on Malala.”
Another official claimed four or five other men directly involved in the attack were not among the 10 men sentenced. They are thought to be in hiding, having crossed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan.
One of them was 23-year-old Ataullah Khan, who was named on the police report at the time of the shooting.
Having survived the attack, Malala was flown to the UK where she received medical treatment and recovered.
She continued her rehabilitation and resumed education in her adopted hometown of Birmingham.
Malala has gone on to become the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, after being awarded the honour in 2014 at the age of 17.
Her other achievements include addressing the UN General Assembly, publishing an autobiography, and having an asteroid named after her.
Malala has become a symbol of hope for girls around the globe in her role as a child education activist.
She continues to inspire people around the world to fight for their basic human rights, in spite of the merciless perils ahead.
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