Malala says Nobel prize urges her forward

Education rights campaigner Malala Yousafzai has dedicated her Nobel peace prize to "voiceless" children around the world, and called on the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers to attend the award ceremony for the sake of peace.

The 17-year-old, who heard the news while she was in a chemistry lesson at school in Birmingham, central England, said she was honoured to be the youngest person and the first Pakistani to receive the accolade.

"The award is for all the children who are voiceless, whose voices need to be heard," Malala told a press conference, held at the end of the school day so she wouldn't miss class.

Malala arrived in Britain from Pakistan for medical treatment after being shot in the head by a Taliban fighter in October 2012, an attempt to silence her vocal advocacy of the right of girls to go to school.

Standing on a box so she could reach the podium at Birmingham's main library, the teenager joked that winning the Nobel would not help her upcoming school exams.

But she told an audience that included her parents and two younger brothers: "I felt more powerful and more courageous because this award is not just a piece of metal or a medal you wear or an award you keep in your room.

"This is encouragement for me to go forward."

The Norwegian Nobel Committee gave the award to Malala and Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi for their struggle against the repression of children and young people and "for the right of all children to education".

Malala said she had already spoken to Satyarthi - she joked that she could not pronounce his name - to discuss how they could work together, and also try to reduce tensions between their two countries.

To that end, she urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend the Nobel award ceremony in December.

The reaction in the streets of Birmingham, which has a large minority population of Pakistani origin, was also overwhelmingly positive.

"I like her. She's confident, speaking up for herself, for women," said 30-year-old Zara Hussain as she waited at a bus stop in Birmingham holding a baby.

"She could be president (of Pakistan) if she carries on."

But the global spotlight has provoked a backlash in parts of Pakistani society, with some accusing Malala of acting as a puppet of the West, while the Taliban have renewed the threat to her life.