Pakistani Girls Protest Naming College After Malala

A student tears up a poster of Malala Yousafzai.

Girls in northern Pakistan have protested against the renaming of their college after teenage peace activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by a Taliban gunman.

On December 12, some 150 students tore down the picture of Malala and boycotted classes, demanding the government revoke the renaming of Government Girls Degree College in Saidu Sharif, the main city in the northern Swat Valley.

The students fear that the new name will make their institution a target for Taliban extremists.

The students postponed their demonstration after local officials assured them they would convey their demands to the provincial government.

Malala, 15, is being treated in a British hospital after being shot by the Taliban in October.

She rose to prominence in 2009 when she wrote a blog for the BBC's Urdu service about Taliban atrocities in Swat.

Based on reporting by AFP and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal