Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Noble Laureate is suffering a tirade of criticism on social media following her series of tweets on Kashmir Lockdown that grossly offended Indian Twitter users including notable senior politicians and journalists.
Malala’s Call on Kashmir Issue
Malala Yousafzai, a champion of girl’s education, shared her insights on the current lockdown in Kashmir on Twitter two days ago. She expressed her concerns on the precarious state of women, girls, and children in the valley and urged international leaders and global humanitarian organization United Nations to make efforts for the restoration of peace and normalcy in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir.
She expressed her despondency over the loss of education for thousands of children particularly girls in Kashmir, who under lockdown are caged in their homes for more than 40 days.
Malala shared the accounts of fearful Kashmiri girls and people from occupation including lawyers, and journalist, she gathered in her correspondence with them over the past few weeks.
“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,” asserted Malala in her first comprehensive tweet on the Kashmir issue since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A.
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.
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) September 14, 2019
Malala also highlighted the dreaded transgression of human rights in the valley, expressing her bewilderment on the forced imprisonment and arbitration of nearly 4000 people including children.
“I am deeply concerned about reports of 4,000 people, including children, arbitrarily arrested and jailed, about students who haven’t been able to attend school for more than 40 days, about girls who are afraid to leave their homes,” she wrote.
I am deeply concerned about reports of 4,000 people, including children, arbitrarily arrested & jailed, about students who haven’t been able to attend school for more than 40 days, about girls who are afraid to leave their homes.
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) September 14, 2019
In the following tweets, Malala shared the accounts of fearful Kashmiri girls and people from occupation including lawyers, and journalist, she gathered in her correspondence with them over the past few weeks. Adding that, “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”.
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
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) September 14, 2019
She quoted the accounts of a few girls she talked to, with one girl moaning the loss of education since she missed her exam on August 12 and sees her dreams of becoming a successful Kashmiri woman shattered.
Another girl expressed her fear, stated that Kashmir is under “absolute silence. We have no way of finding out what’s happening to us. All we could hear [were] the steps of troops outside our windows. It 2was really scary,” a girl’s account Malala wrote in a tweet.
“People speaking out for us adds to our hope. I am longing for the day when Kashmir will be free of the misery we’ve been going through for decades.”
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) September 14, 2019
Furore on Social Media
Malala raising her voice for the freedom of Kashmiris did not go well with the Indian Twitter users, who in past had vouched for her for standing up against terrorism.
Read more: Malala Yousafzai feels for Kashmiris, calls for peaceful resolution
Scores of Indian turned up on Twitter with distasteful comments, expressing disgust for Malala Yousafzai for speaking against India. Her detractors including senior journalist Barkha Dutt castigated Malala Yousafzai for siding with her country Pakistan when she cannot go back to her hometown Swat due to terrorism and risk for her life.
Disappointing to see @Malala wade into cliched Pakistan state narrative about #Kashmir when the hard truth is that she can never even return to her own country because she was shot for the rights of girls to go to school.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) September 15, 2019
An IAS officer Kunal passing spiteful remarks asserted, “Contradictory statement if there is communication blockade then how she is able to speak. She can filter twitter to get authentic info rather than parroting written script. Her native country needs her attention where children are hungry because of price rise. Collect donations.”
https://twitter.com/TheDeshBhakt/status/1173430842581909504?s=20
A BJP lawmaker criticized Malala Yousafzai for her plea on Kashmir stating that she should spend some time with religious minorities in Pakistan, who according to him are being severely persecuted in Pakistan.
Here Mr Sharad Pawar “Malala” ..here’s How Happy the Minorities of Pakistan are ..on just some silly allegations against a Hindu School teacher in Pak,multiple temples,schools,Hindu homes are vandalised ..is this the happiness you were talking about? pic.twitter.com/uJP7rb40bc
— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) September 16, 2019
Other Twitter users mocked Malala Yousafzai asserted that her Nobel Prize should be repealed and that she is an undercover ISI agent. But Pakistanis came to her defense as well.
Extremely disappointed to see saner minds like @BDUTT acting as stooge of #fascistmodi regime https://t.co/qZXEy81KpD
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 15, 2019