According to the Pakistan police, eight of the ten accused reportedly jailed for the attempted killing of Pakistani schoolgirl and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai were acquitted on Friday.
The announcement came from Pakistan’s deputy police chief, Azad Khan who clarified that eight Taliban fighters from the ten who were found guilty, have been actually acquitted and not offered a life sentence. “I can only confirm that the anti-terrorism court in April had acquitted eight out of 10 militants accused of attacking Malala,” Khan told The Associated Press.
However, no explanation was given as to why the court had its lips sealed regarding the case for so long.
Malala was 15 when she was shot in the head in 2012 by Pakistani Taliban for her activism for education and women’s rights in Swat, a place where the Pakistani Taliban had stopped girls going to school after taking over it in 2007 and 2008. The attack on her led to a widespread hatred towards militants and their actions.
At the age of 17, Malala was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.