Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Nobel Peace winner Malala Yousafzai, who played a pivotal role in his daughter’s struggle against parochialism and rise to worldwide fame, has shared his experience and own life transformation in a new interview in a new podcast series “Zooming with Bob”.
The human rights activist and education activist, celebrated along with her iconic daughter for commitment to women’s progress, talks about how the Taliban strategically took over his hometown of Swat in Pakistan more than a decade ago.
The highly anticipated interview was conducted via zoom with Pakistani-American filmmaker, Bob Ahmed.
The interview airs in two parts on January 1, and January 2, 2022, on Washington DC Films YouTube Channel, followed by screenings on broadcast networks across America and Canada.
Malala’s hometown Swat, a picturesque valley had been a “cradle of civilizations” but the Taliban militancy turned the Yousafzais’ heaven into hell.
In the interview, Ziauddin Yousafzai recounts the heart-wrenching attack on his 15-year-old daughter, Malala. And how she stood up to the wrath of the Taliban.
About his youth, he says “I was extremely romantic”. He talks about his own marriage and about romance in a traditional society in Pakistan which is expressed through “glances” and “respect”.
What is surprising though is an in-depth exploration of how Yousafzai faced bullying in his childhood for stuttering, which “was very painful”.
Yousafzai’s example shows how he turned this “weakness into a power”.
The viewer can’t help but feel goosebumps at this point in the interview, realizing that the same voice of a little boy that was once ridiculed is now celebrated the world over as a force for human rights.
