LONDON - The British hospital caring for Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl shot by militants, has had to turn away a string of Pakistani VIPs keen to spend time at her bedside, according to staff, reported Telegraph on Tuesday.
Critics at home fear her high profile has turned her into a political photo opportunity for politicians with an eye on elections next year, at a time when she needs rest and a chance to recover.
Malala arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham just over a fortnight ago after being shot in the head at close range and doctors are pleased with the progress she is making.
Last week, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar, visited the hospital. Since then visitors have included Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the daughter of late Benazir Bhutto, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Haider Ali, a politician from Swat.  On Monday it was the turn of Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who visited the hospital along with William Hague and a minister from the United Arab Emirates.
None was able to meet Malala but were briefed by medical staff and spent time with her family instead.
Sana Saleem, a well-known blogger and campaigner for women's rights, said the government of Pakistan had played its part in helping Malala but should now let her recover in peace. "There's no need for ministers going to see her now," she said. "The government has supported her and taken her to Britain, but this is not going to help now." The 15-year-old has made an impressive recovery after being shot at close range three weeks ago by a Taliban gunman. However, she still faces surgery to repair the damage done to her skull and a long road to recovery.
Her strong stance in standing up to the Taliban - writing a blog about their brutality and later campaigning for girls education - has meant a flood of well-wishers, gifts and messages arriving at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
A spokeswoman said only immediate family members were allowed to visit Malala for limited amounts of time and other requests were being refused. "It's an easy thing to tell them because it's based on medical facts and it's in the best interest of the patient," she said.