London ( CNN ) -- The parents of Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai arrived Thursday in Britain to reunite with their daughter , who has become an international symbol of courage after being shot by the Taliban for demanding education for girls . The 15-year-old , who at times has been unconscious , is being treated in a Birmingham hospital for a gunshot wound to the head . Her father , Ziauddin Yousafzai , has been a central influence for Malala . He ran a school in Pakistan 's conservative Swat Valley that kept its doors open to girls -- in defiance of the Taliban . Her parents ' arrival on Thursday came 10 days after Malala was flown to Britain . Arrests made in shooting of Pakistani schoolgirl . Malala has been unable to speak because a tube has been inserted into her trachea to protect her airway , which was swollen after her injury . `` I am leaving this country with a heavy heart and in extraordinary circumstances because the whole country knows that it is essential that I be with my daughter during her recovery , '' her father told Pakistani network PTV before leaving Islamabad , in his first public remarks since the October 9 shooting . `` With the nation 's prayers she survived the attack and she will surely recover and her health will progress . And , God willing , as soon as she is recovered , I will be back in Pakistan . '' Khushal Khan , Malala 's younger brother , called for the nation to rally behind his sister . `` I want to tell all my friends to pray for Malala , '' he said . Opinion : Why Malala should not be turned into modern Joan of Arc . Malala has been thinking about school even while she lies in her hospital bed , Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters after meeting with her family -- she asked her father to take her school books with him . `` The mission she has taken forward and the education awareness that has spread across Pakistan is all Malala 's doing , '' he said , according to PTV . `` So I think that our entire nation should be proud of her love for the soil of her country . '' After Malala recovers and returns to Pakistan , he said , `` we will provide her with complete security , despite anyone 's refusal , to ensure that something like this never happens again . The attack on Malala was a mindset of people who do n't want to see this country progress . '' Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has spoken with the girl 's father , asking him to stay in Britain as long as necessary while his daughter recovers , Rehman Malik said . Malala has been communicating with medical staff by writing notes , the hospital has said . What 's your message for Malala ? As of Thursday , Malala `` continued to respond well to treatment , '' the hospital 's website said . She is expected to need `` a significant period of rest and recuperation '' before undergoing reconstructive surgery , Dr. Dave Rosser , medical director of University Hospitals Birmingham , said last week . That surgery could involve reinserting a piece of her own skull or fitting her with a titanium plate . Malala was fighting an infection , but was able to move her extremities and has stood with help from nurses , the hospital said . Although the bullet grazed her brain as it passed from above her eye into her shoulder , she understands where she is and seems to be functioning well intellectually , it added . Malala sent a message of thanks to the thousands of people in Pakistan and elsewhere who have attended rallies and vigils honoring her courage and praying for her recovery . The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the shooting , but do n't appear to have anticipated the level of condemnation it would provoke . Malala initially gained international attention in 2009 , as the Taliban gained a foothold in her home region of Swat , a Taliban redoubt in northwest Pakistan , near Afghanistan . Girl shot alongside Malala haunted by attack . On her blog , Malala wrote about her life in the region , a center of militant activity where girls schools were shuttered and strict Islamist rules imposed . In her writings , which earned her Pakistan 's first National Peace Prize , she encouraged young people to oppose the Taliban . Pakistani police said Wednesday that six men have been arrested in Swat in connection with Malala 's shooting , but the primary suspect remained at large . Police have identified Atta Ullah Khan , a 23-year-old man from the district where she was attacked , as the primary suspect . Police said they were searching for Khan , who was studying for a master 's degree in chemistry . CNN 's Jonathan Wald and Shaan Khan contributed to this report .
Plane of Malala 's parents lands in London , England . ` ` It is essential that I be with my daughter during her recovery , '' said her father . Malala asked that her school books be returned to her , Education Minister Malik says . On October 9 , the Taliban shot the student activist who had demanded education for girls .