Children of Occupied Kashmir have grown up amidst violence: Malala

Pakistani Nobel laureate calls for peaceful resolution to longstanding issue between nuclear-armed neighbours

Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Thursday not only called for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue but also highlighted the plight of children caught in the cross-hairs of hostilities.

Malala, who has been vocal about the strained relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbours, said she had heard of the grievances of the Kashmiris throughout her life in Pakistan.

"The people of Kashmir have lived in conflict since I was a child, since my mother and father were children, since my grandparents were young."

"For seven decades, the children of Kashmir have grown up amidst violence," the rights activist for children said.

Malala said she cares about Kashmir since "South Asia is my home, a home I share with 1.8 billion people including Kashmiris".

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"Today, I am worried about the safety of the Kashmiri children and women, the most vulnerable to violence and the most likely to suffer losses in conflict," she added.

The Nobel Laureate said that it is important to be aware of certain groups being more vulnerable than others in times of conflict.

"Whatever disagreement we may have... Must focus on peacefully resolving the seven-decade conflict in Kashmir."

Her statement comes in the wake of New Delhi stripping IOK of its Kashmir's special status with thousands of troops deployed in the Himalayan valley to muzzle the voices of Kashmiris.

 

The people of Kashmir have lived in conflict since I was a child, since my mother and father were children, since my grandparents were young. pic.twitter.com/Qdq0j2hyN9

— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) August 8, 2019