Clerics issue fatwa on Taliban who shot Malala Yousafzai, 14
Islamic scholars denounce Taliban's attempt to justify bid to kill young activist on religious grounds
A group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan have issued a fatwa against the Taliban gunmen who tried to kill a teenager famous for campaigning for the right of girls to an education.
The Islamic scholars from the Sunni Ittehad Council publicly denounced attempts by the Pakistani Taliban to mount religious justifications for the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, 14, and two of her classmates on Tuesday.
A Taliban spokesman said they would try to kill Malala again if she recovered from her injuries.
The attack has left Malala in a critical condition at a Pakistani military hospital after surgery to remove a bullet from near her spinal cord.
She showed signs of improvement by moving her limbs yesterday, the military said, though she remains unconscious and on a ventilator.
"The sedation given to Malala was reduced today so that neurosurgeons could do their clinical assessment and as a result of it Malala responded and moved her hands and feet," military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said.
A team of specialist doctors are providing "constant care" to Malala and all "contingencies" were in place in case they decide to move her abroad for further treatment, the general said.