LONDON (AFP) - The father of shot Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai has been given a diplomatic role in Britain while his teenage daughter recovers from her injuries, according to reports.

The Pakistani government announced that Mr Ziauddin Yousafzai would become its education attache at the consulate in Birmingham, central England, said the reports.

Malala, 15, is recovering at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where she was brought from Pakistan on Oct 15.

Mr Yousafzai will initially undertake the role for three years, but could get a two-year extension.

Malala was shot on her school bus in north-western Swat in October by Taleban gunmen for the "crime" of promoting girls' education, but survived the murder attempt.

Malala first rose to prominence aged just 11 with a blog for the BBC Urdu service in 2009 in which she described life in Swat during the bloody rule of the Taleban.