04 Jan 2013
The 15 year-old walked out of the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after doctors deemed her well enough to continue her remarkable recovery at her family's temporary home in the West Midlands.
Doctors said she had made "excellent progress" since being shot at point blank range as she caught a bus home from school in early October in an attack that prompted international outrage.
She was discharged as an inpatient from hospital on Thursday, after doctors decided that "she would benefit from being at home" with her parents and two brothers.
In a series of pictures and video released today, she could be seen smiling shyly and waving at nurses as she slowly walked through the hospital ward.
She was tonight said to be "delighted" to out of hospital and back with her family.
(PA)
The schoolgirl, who was targeted after speaking out against Taliban oppression and campaigning for girls' education, is set to undergo complex cranial reconstruction surgery later within weeks "as part of her long-term recovery".
Malala Yousufzai shakes hands with nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (Picture: PA)
"Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery," said Dave Rosser, the hospital's medical director.
"She will return to the hospital as an outpatient and our therapies team will continue to work with her at home to supervise her onward care."
Her release was met with joy by family and friends in her hometown of Mingora. While there was no public celebrations, her cousins handed out sweets to neighbours.
Locals hope she will eventually be fit enough to return to her home in the Swat Valley.
Since the attack, a campaign for her to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize has gathered momentum after she became a symbol for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan.
Malala has said she wants to return to Pakistan but she will remain a target for as long as terrorism threatens the country, officials have toldThe Daily Telegraph.
Malala Yousufzai is seen recuperating after being shot in the head by Taliban gunmen (Picture: REUTERS)
In recent weeks she has undertaken regular "home leave" visits to spend time with her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, mother Toorpekai and younger brothers, Khushal and Atul.
A team of neurosurgeons assessed her ability to cope outside hospital and subsequently decided to authorise her release home, where she will continue her rehabilitation.
When she was shot on October 9 last year, the bullet entered just above her left eye and ran along her jaw, "grazing" her brain.
It was later removed by surgeons in Pakistan before she was flown to the UK. She has been treated by the hospital's numerous specialist doctors and medical experts from Birmingham Children's Hospital including clinicians from Neurosurgery, Imaging, Trauma and Therapies.
She has become a symbol of hope for women in Pakistan (Picture: AFP/ GETTY IMAGES)
This week her father, who has also had threats made on his life, was announced as Pakistan's education attache at its consulate in Birmingham.
The Pakistani High Commission's decision to appoint Mr Yousafzai to its staff makes it increasingly likely that Malala and her family will remain in Britain long-term.
The family declined requests to comment.
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