Thousands call for Nobel peace prize for Malala Yousafzai

London: Thousands of Britons have called on the government to nominate Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating girls` education, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The 15-year-old, who was shot in the head and neck while returning home from school on October 09, is currently recuperating at a hospital in Birmingham, UK. Shahida Choudhary, a Pakistani-British woman has begun a campaign, in which she has urged Prime Minister David Cameron and other senior government officials to nominate Malala for the Nobel Peace Prize, reports The Dawn. "Malala doesn`t just represent one young woman, she speaks out for all those who are denied an education purely on the basis of their gender. There are girls like Malala in the UK and across the world. I was one of them," Choudhary said in a statement issued by global petition platform Change.org. "I started this petition because a Nobel Peace Prize for Malala will send a clear message that the world is watching and will support those who stand up for the right of girls to get an education," she added. More than 30,000 people have signed the petition in Britain as part of a global push by women`s rights advocates to nominate her for the prize. Similar campaigns have sprung up in Canada, France and Spain. Malala`s father and other family members have flown to Birmingham to oversee her recovery. Her father said his daughter would "rise again" to pursue her dreams after her treatment. Events are expected to take place around the world on Saturday to mark one month since Malala was shot. ANI