Ziauddin Yousafzai

Ziauddin Yousafzai (; ; born 20 April 1969) is a Pakistani educational entrepreneur and activist best known as the father of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who protested against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's opposition to the education rights of girls, especially for Pakistani girls.

He is currently co-founder and board member of Malala Fund and the author of Let Her Fly (2018).

Biography

Early childhood Yousafzai was born in 1969 to a Pashtun family in Shangla. Ziauddin's father was the orator Rohul Amin, who was also a teacher of theology at a government high school and imam of the local mosque.

As teacher he co-founded and ran a chain of low-cost private schools known as the Khushal Public School, named after a famous Pashtun poet, Khushal Khan Khattak, as well as being a member of the Rotary Club of Swat and elected Vice President of the Swat Association of Private Schools.

Education Ziauddin drew inspiration from his father, an educational activist. Even though he had a stutter, he wanted to prove to his parents that he would be able to learn and speak correctly. He also gave a speech for TED Talk where he describes the reasons he encourages his daughter to speak up for women's rights. In his speech, he recalls never seeing his sisters' names written on paper growing up, and going to school while they all had to stay home. He attributes his activism to these facts.

Awards On 11 June 2015, Yousafzai received an honorary doctorate of law from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada for his commitment to peace, as well as his ongoing efforts for the educational rights of girls in Pakistan and beyond.

In 2017, Yousafzai was awarded, along with his daughter, an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa in Canada.