London: Nobel Peace Prize winner and Pakistani education rights activist Malala Yousafzai has urged the UN to work towards peace in Kashmir and help children go back to school amid the tense situation in the Valley.
Normal life has remained affected in Kashmir since August 5, when the special status for Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped and restrictions were imposed. Most shops and schools remain shut and public transport has gone off the roads.
“I am asking leaders, at #UNGA and beyond, to work towards peace in Kashmir, listen to Kashmiri voices and help children go safely back to school,” the youngest ever Nobel Laureate tweeted on Saturday.
Malala, 22, said she is deeply concerned about reports of students who have not been able to attend school for more than 40 days, about girls who are afraid to leave their homes.
“I wanted to hear directly from girls living in Kashmir right now. It took a lot of work from a lot of people to get their stories because of the communications blackout. Kashmiris are cut off from the world and unable to make their voices heard. #LetKashmirSpeak,” she tweeted.
As the shutdown in the Valley entered its 41st day on Saturday, most of the shops and other business establishments remained closed. Internet services remained suspended across all platforms.
While landline phones across the Valley were functional, voice calls on mobile devices were working only in Kupwara and Handwara police districts of north Kashmir.
The efforts of the state government to reopen schools have not borne any fruit as parents continued to keep the kids at home due to apprehensions about their safety.
Also read: Foreign media images seem doctored, haven’t tortured anyone in Kashmir: Indian Army chief
If Malala is so concerned about the children of Kashmir, then why she is hiding in London. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Pakistani citizens should first set their house in order instead of interfering in others affairs. Pakistan has tried through all means fair and mostly foul to capture Kashmir but failed. Take it from me, even for the next 100 years Pakistan cannot take Kashmir from India. Better develop your economy and live like good neighbours.
Miss Malala Yousafzai is probably right when she expresses concern about Kashmiri children; but I think she should be more worried and concerned about ordinary Kashmiris who have been terrorized by Pakistan-trained terror groups. These terror groups disturb ordinary life in Kashmir valley and they claim to do that for azadi. But this kind of azadi is fake azadi, so long as terror groups are allowed to operate freely from Pak-occupied Kashmir. If Malala Yousafzai does no say a word about terrorism and terrorist activity in the valley, she would certainly be criticized for being silent on terrorist activities in the Kashmir valley. And such criticism will not be incorrect either.
I fully agree with you. Why does she not speak of her own country causing problems in POK and Baluchistan