Malala Yousafzai's father gets Birmingham consulate job

Malala Yousafzai was flown to Birmingham for specialist treatment

The father of a Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by a Taliban gunman has been given a job in Birmingham.

Ziaududdin Yousafzai has been appointed education attaché at the Consulate of Pakistan in the city, the Pakistan government has announced.

His daughter Malala, 15, was treated in Birmingham after being shot in the head in the Swat Valley on 9 October 2012.

The Taliban said it shot Malala, a campaigner for girls' education, for "promoting secularism".

Doctors said the bullet grazed the teenager's brain when it struck her just above her left eye.

Peace prize petition

The president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, visited Malala at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 8 December. The teenager was flown to the hospital to receive specialist treatment.

The Pakistan government said Mr Ali Zardari had also met Mr Yousufzai and assured him his government would meet all the expenses of Malala's treatment and the needs of the family while they were in the UK.

Mr Yousufzai will be the head of the education section under the Head of Mission.

He has been given the position for three years, which may be extended for a further two years.

Tens of thousands of people have since signed a petition calling for Malala to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.