PAKISTANI TEEN SHOOTING A WAKE UP CALL TO 'A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER'

Islamabad, Pakistan -  Pakistan's foreign minister on Thursday called the attempted assassination of a teenage activist who pushed against extremists and in support of women's rights and education "a wake-up call (to) a clear-and-present danger."

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour two days after Malala Yousufzai, 14, was gunned down as she headed home from school in Pakistan's conservative Swat Valley. The girl was in critical condition Thursday at a military hospital outside Islamabad after surgeons removed a bullet lodged in her neck.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for targeting Malala, who enraged the militant group by writing about her daily battle with extremists who used fear and intimidation to force girls to stay at home instead of going to school. Malala's online writing earned her Pakistan's first National Peace Prize in November.

The Taliban have vowed to kill the teenager if she survives.

According to Khar, people in Pakistan and all over the world must confront those "who choose to use violence to follow whatever they consider to be their agenda.

" While noting Pakistan's previous military efforts in the Swat Valley, the foreign minister said the teenage girl's shooting may force even more decisive action between two scenarios one that includes rights for women as represented by Malala and "the other ... trying to be imposed by this particular band (of) extremists."

"Today, for (Pakistan), it could be, possibly be a turning point," she said. "I would keep my fingers crossed on that."

Source:: CNN...More..