Malala telephones Sabika's family, extends condolences

KARACHI: Pakistani Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday spoke to the family of Sabika Sheikh, who was killed in a school shooting in United States last week, via phone and extended her condolences over Sabika's death.

The Pakistani Nobel laureate told Sabika's father, Abdul Aziz Sheikh, that every individual was aggrieved over Sabika's death, adding that the nation had been deprived of a talented daughter.

17-year-old Sabika Sheikh was killed during the Santa Fe high school shooting on Friday, one of the 10 victims who were mostly students.

Make Sabika’s case 'an example to change gun laws': father

'I want this to become a base on which the people over there can stand and pass a law to deal with this. I’ll do whatever I can,' Abdul Aziz, Sabika's father, said

A resident of Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality, Sabika was studying in the US under the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme since August 21, 2017, and was due to return home next month.

She was laid to rest in her hometown Karachi earlier today.

Malala asked Sabika's father and sister to consider her as their own daughter and sister, and that she equally shared their grief.

During the conversation, Aziz told the Nobel laureate that he wanted people to raise their voice against gun violence.

At which, Malala assured him that she would fully back him on this issue.