UAE Ready to Fly Out Pakistani Girl Shot by Taliban

The United Arab Emirates is ready to evacuate a Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban for further medical treatment, a top official said on Sunday.

"There is an Emirati plane ready to evacuate" 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, the official told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity, adding that the plane would be ready to fly out of the UAE once "final preparations are complete."

Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, Jamil Ahmed Khan, told Pakistani television network Geo TV that the plane would be used to transport the young child rights activist if necessary but that no final decision had been taken.

"An air ambulance from the royal fleet with six expert doctors is ready to fly to Pakistan. We are in touch with the foreign office to complete the visa process for the crew and doctors," he said.

"This is a standby arrangement. Military said the air ambulance is part of the contingency plan and will be used if required."

Malala was shot in the former Taliban stronghold of Swat last Tuesday in retaliation for her campaign for the right to education for girls and women.

She was airlifted to Pakistan's top military hospital on Thursday for specialist treatment.

On Sunday, the military said the teenager was making "slow and steady progress" in her recovery.

The Pakistani Taliban said on Tuesday that it carried out the shooting. Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP that the group had repeatedly warned her to stop speaking out against it.

The attempted murder has sickened Pakistan, where Malala came to prominence with a blog for the BBC highlighting atrocities by the Taliban when it controlled much of the Swat valley between 2007 and 2009.