PESHAWAR, Oct 9: The assassination attempt on the life of National Peace Award winner Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday drew widespread condemnation from the government, political parties and civil society groups, terming it a bid to silent voice for peace and education.

Those who raised their voice for the restoration of peace and promotion of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata were being declared as enemies by the extremists, said Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain while talking to Dawn.

With such coward acts, the extremists have made bids to discourage the efforts whosoever has launched for peace, he said.

Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti also condemned the attack on Malala Yousufzai and expressed sorrow over her injuries.

The chief minister promptly contacted her father Zia-ud-Din Yousufzai on telephone and expressed solidarity with him in this hour of trial, according to a handout.

Governor Barrister Masood Kausar condemned the attack on the social worker Malala Yousafzai and other students and wished their early recovery.

The governor, in a statement, said the elements involved in the heinous crime would be nabbed and brought to court of law.

Provincial president of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mukhtar Khan Yousafzai, while condemning attack on Malala Yousafzai and her school fellows, said it was against Islam, Pakhtun culture and human values. He demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

Chief of his own fiction of PPP-S Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also condemned the assassination attempt on the life of Ms Yousafzai.

Similarly, different civil society organisations condemned attack on Ms Yousafzai and demanded arrest of the elements involved in this heinous crime.

Meanwhile, the Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the attack on Malala Yousafzai by the militants and termed it a shocking act of violence against a 14-year-old girl.

In a press release issued here, the international human rights body stated that early indications suggested a targeted shooting with one local report suggesting one of the gunmen asked for her by name before opening fire.

“This was a shocking act of violence against a 14-year-old girl who has bravely been fighting for her right to education.

We condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” said Mustafa Qadri, Pakistan researcher with Amnesty International.