Via Telegraph:

The head of one of Pakistan’s most influential Islamist parties has claimed 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was not injured in an attack by extremist gunmen last month as conspiracy theories swirl around the country.

Malala, a prominent campaigner for girls education in Swat Valley, is recovering in the UK after being shot in the head at close range as she travelled home from school.

Her case has caused outrage around the world and put the Pakistan Taliban, which claimed responsibility, on the defensive.

Addressing a conference at the weekend, Fazal-ur-Rehman, who leads the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam party and a former member of the governing coalition, dismissed the attack as a “drama” and said the girl – who still faces further surgery at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital – had no sign of injury once her bandages had been removed, according to Pakistani newspapers.

He added that Malala was not the only Pakistani woman to face injustice or persecution.

“Lots of women are killed or injured in US drone strikes,” he said. “On average, 15 to 20 people are killed in Karachi every day.”