Why Was Malala Under Pressure To React On Kashmir When Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi Wasn’t?

Ever since Article 370 was abolished in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK), people in Pakistan wanted Malala, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to speak against Indian atrocities.

She was met with harsh criticism for immediately issuing a statement to condemn gross human rights violations in Kashmir.

Malala finally issued a statement via Twitter on Thursday, in which she expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri people and urged the world to respond to their suffering.

While some Pakistanis praised her statement…

…Others wanted her to speak harshly against India, saying that she took a diplomatic stance.

Even Indians weren’t happy with Malala. As far as they were concerned, as a Pakistani citizen, she had no right at all to comment on India’s actions in Kashmir.

Read: This Twitter Exchange Between Malala Yousafzai And Shah Rukh Khan Proves That She’s “The Chosen One”

But our question is, why must the onus of responsibility to react on Kashmir lie on Malala when Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been silent all along?

Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian children’s right activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize with Malala in 2014.

When Article 370 was revoked earlier this week, people were quick to hold Malala accountable for not speaking-up but no one cared that Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi was silent as well.

While Malala issued a statement on 8th August, there is no sign of the same from Satyarthi’s end.

Logically, if it’s Malala’s responsibility as a Nobel Laurate to take a stand for Kashmiris then the onus of responsibility lies equally on Kailash Satyarthi as well.

South Asians, take a moment to reflect why we must always pick on the 22-year-old Malala for everything that goes wrong on Earth when other Nobel Prize winners do not have to face similar public pressure?

Why do you think Kailash Satyarthi is silent? Let us know in the comments below.