Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai announced her marriage in a nikkah ceremony in Britain's Birmingham, with the 24-year-old activist identifying her husband as Asser. "Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life," she wrote on Twitter.
Today marks a precious day in my life.
— Malala (@Malala) November 9, 2021
Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. 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.
📸: @malinfezehai pic.twitter.com/SNRgm3ufWP
Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai tweeted: "It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Alhamdulillah."
Eventhough Malala did not divulge much info on the groom, numerous reports from Pakistan and across the world identified him as Asser Malik, associated with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
As Pakistan's Geo TV reported, Malik is the general manager of high performance at the PCB, having joined the organisation in May 2020, and has previously worked with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans as an operational manager; according to the report, he has a degree in economics and political science in 2012 from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
DNA reported that he was managing director of a player-management agency and franchise owner in the amateur league Last Man Stand, and has been associated with theatre productions.
Malala was shot at by a Taliban gunman in December 2012 for her female education campaigning in the Swat Valley in northeastern Pakistan. Severely wounded, she was airlifted from one military hospital in Pakistan to another and later flown to the Great Britain for treatment. Post the attack, the Taliban released a statement saying that they would target Malala again if she survived.
At age 17, Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her education advocacy in 2014 when she shared the coveted honour with India's social activist Kailash Satyarthi. Unable to return to Pakistan after her recovery, Malala moved to Britain, setting up the Malala Fund and supporting local education advocacy groups with a focus on Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria and Kenya. She is currently studying at the Oxford University. Malala began her campaign aged just 11, when she started writing a blog for the BBC's Urdu service in 2009 about life under the Taliban in Swat, where they were banning girls' education.
