Malala Yousafzai announces she's married, shares photos from wedding day on Instagram

Malala Yousafzai is married!

On Tuesday, Yousafzai shared the news on Instagram with photos of her and her husband, Asser Malik.

"Today marks a precious day in my life," the 24-year-old wrote in the caption. "Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead."

Her husband also shared photos on Instagram to celebrate their marriage and included a heart emoji.

It's unclear how long the two have been together, but they have at least known each other since 2019. In an Instagram post, Malik, who is the general manager of high performance for the Pakistan Cricket Board, shared a photo of himself cheering on Pakistan with a group of friends at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, England. Malala was in the photo.

In response to the news of the marriage, Yousafzai's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, tweeted, "It is beyond words. Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude."

Earlier this year, Youssafzai told British Vogue that she was unsure if marriage was something she saw for herself.

"I still don't understand why people have to get married," she told the magazine. "If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can't it just be a partnership?"

But things changed during her relationship to Malik.

"I just thought, 'I'm never going to get married, never going to have kids -- just going to do my work. I'm going to be happy and live with my family forever,'" she said. "I didn't realize that you're not the same person all the time. You change as well and you're growing."

Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist known for her advocacy for female education. In 2012, she and two other girls were shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt. He fled the scene and Yousafzai suffered a gunshot wound in the head. After her recovery, she became a prominent activist for the right to education.

She was the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize and in 2013, co-authored her book, "I Am Malala." In 2020, she graduated from Oxford University.