( CNN ) -- The father of Malala Yousafzai , the teenager whom the Taliban tried to kill , has been given a job in a Pakistan consulate in Birmingham , England , where she is recovering from gunshot wounds to her head and neck , Pakistani officials said Wednesday . Ziauddin Yousafzai has been appointed education attache and will function as head of the consulate 's education section for three years , the Pakistani government said . His job could be extended two additional years . At the time of his daughter 's shooting , Ziauddin Yousafzai ran a school in Pakistan 's conservative Swat Valley that kept its doors open to girls -- in defiance of the Taliban . The Taliban forbid girls in the classroom and have threatened to kill anyone who defies them . Malala was shot by gunmen last fall for her crusade about girls going to school . She had blogged fearlessly about girls ' education and accused the Taliban of thriving on ignorance . Her father 's employment fulfills a pledge by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari , who visited Malala in December and assured her father that the government would meet `` all expenses of Malala 's treatment and all the needs of the family while in UK , '' a government statement said Wednesday . `` In light of that , the present appointment has been made , '' the statement said . On October 9 , Malala was on a school van in Swat Valley when Taliban gunmen stopped the vehicle and demanded that other girls tell them who was Malala . They identified her . Malala was then shot , as were two other girls who survived the attack . `` We do not tolerate people like Malala speaking against us , '' a Taliban spokesman said after the shooting . He vowed to come after her if she managed to live . Islamic militants also threatened to kill journalists covering her story . Since her shooting , Malala has become an international figure . She was selected as runner-up for Time magazine 's Person of the Year for 2012 . CNN and Time are owned by Time Warner Inc. Malala arrived at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on October 16 . A bullet that hit her left brow did n't penetrate the skull but traveled the side of her head under the skin and into her neck , the hospital said . The shock wave shattered the thinnest bone of her skull , and fragments entered her brain , the hospital said . The teen had been in critical condition , but doctors removed the bullet and she has no major brain or nerve damage . Physicians said she will need reconstructive surgery . Malala is walking , writing and reading again . The Islamic militants behind the Taliban continue to repress women in northwest Pakistan . Last month , Malala asked a graduate school not to name its institution after her . Girls were afraid that attending the Malala Yousafzai Post Graduate College for Women in the Taliban-dominated Swat Valley would attract the attention of fighters such as the ones who shot Malala and the two other girls , said Kamran Rehman Khan , a top official in the Swat Valley . The Saidu Sharif Post Graduate School briefly changed its name to recognize Malala 's brave campaign for girls ' education in Pakistan . Several students told Khan that they respect Malala but were concerned about their safety , he said . Khan told CNN that Malala called him last month from her hospital room in England and asked the school to remove her name . But she wished for people to continue to fight for girls to go to school , he said . `` I was so impressed that despite having threats against her life , she was talking about girls ' education in the region and against militants , '' Khan said . CNN 's Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report .
Ziauddin Yousafzai , father of Malala , will work in Birmingham , England , consulate . He will serve as education attache for three years with possibility of extension . The job fulfills a Pakistan government pledge to help the family . Comment: