Oxford graduate Malala Yousafzai marries General Manager of Pakistan Cricket Board

Oxford University graduate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, got married on Tuesday in a small ceremony in Birmingham, central England, she announced on social media.

Malala Yousafzai’s husband is Asser Malik, the General Manager High Performance for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He graduated from Lahore University of Management Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in  Economics and Political Science in 2012.

As a student, he joined events with several universities abroad. He organised and performed in a theatrical performance at UCL and LSE in England to raise awareness and funds for flood victims. Plus, he liaised with the University of Nottingham to plan and execute performances to raise awareness for acid burnt victims in both countries.

Malala Yousafzai’s husband and ‘the journey ahead’

“Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser (Malik) and I tied the knot to be partners for life,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote on Twitter, where she also posted images of herself and her new husband on their wedding day.

“We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead,” she added.

A nikkah ceremony is the first step in an Islamic marriage.

Ms. Yousafzai, 24, married Asser Malik, a manager for the Pakistan Cricket Board, at a small Islamic ceremony called a nikkah, she said on Twitter. Source: Franck Robichon/AFP

When she was 15, Yousafzai was shot in the head by militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, in her home town in the Swat valley while on a school bus in 2012.

She recovered after months of treatment at home and abroad before co-writing a best-selling memoir titled “I am Malala.” Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a 17-year-old in 2014, sharing the award with Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist from India.

She graduated last year from the University of Oxford with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. Now 24 years old, she advocates for girls’ education, with her non-profit Malala Fund has invested US$2 million in Afghanistan.

She has also signed a deal with Apple TV+ that will see her produce dramas and documentaries that focus on women and children.

Additional reporting by AFP