Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Malala Yousafzai announced via her social media that she married Asser Malik on Tuesday, Nov. 9. 

 

"Today marks a beautiful day in my life. Asser and I have married to be partners for life. We held a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families," she wrote. 

 

In the announcement, the activist also asked her followers to send prayers for the new stage of their relationship.

 

"We are excited to walk together on the road ahead," she said.

 

Malala's husband, Malik, is an operations manager for the Pakistan Cricket Board from the city of Lahore, Pakistan.

 

Malala, 24, held the wedding ceremony at her home in Birmingham, England, where she wore a pink bridal Nikah alongside her husband in a black suit. 

It is not known when Malala and Asser began their relationship, but it was publicly known when her now-husband posted a birthday message last July.

 

"Happy birthday to the most amazing @Malala," he wrote at the time. 

 

Earlier this year, Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said he would allow the young girl to choose her own partner. Malala's parents had described this as an "arranged love marriage."

 

In July, Malala told British Vogue that she was unsure if she would ever marry.

 

"I still don't understand why people have to get married. If you want to have a person in your life, why do you have to sign marriage papers, why can't it just be an agreement?" the young woman said.

 

The comment drew criticism from many social media users in Pakistan at the time.

Malala won international Nobel Peace Prize recognition in 2014 after speaking out against Taliban efforts to prevent girls from studying.

 

At the age of 15, a Taliban gunman turned his weapon on Yousafzai and shot her in the head. After the event, the young woman was flown to England for treatment and her safety, as she was marked in Pakistan.