Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Price winner Malala Yousafzai said on Thursday that “for seven decades, the children of Kashmir have grown up amid violence” and appealed for an end to the conflict in the region after relation between India and Pakistan once again nosedived after the end of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking to Twitter, Malala wrote, “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,” Yousafzai went on to say. The activist said she cared about Kashmir since “South Asia is my home, a home I share with 1.8 billion people including Kashmiris”. she further posted.
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 (@Malala) August 8, 2019
The region represented different cultures, religions, languages, cuisines and customs, she added.
She also expressed her hope, saying “we can all live in peace”.
“I am worried mostly about the women and children in Kashmir since they are the most vulnerable to violence and most likely to suffer losses in conflict”, Malala said in a statement.
“Whatever disagreement we may have… Must focus on peacefully resolving the seven-decade conflict in Kashmir,” the activist added.
Malala’s statement comes after the Indian government on Monday scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and converted the state into a Union Territory with a legislature.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed in the Rajya Sabha to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir amid uproar by opposition members.
President Ram Nath Kovind signed the notification to abrogate the Article.
Following the developments, the Pakistan government condemned the abrogation of Article 370 saying that it will “exercise all possible options to counter it”.