Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Saturday lamented over the ongoing lockdown in occupied Kashmir, saying that she is asking the leaders at the United Nations General Assembly and beyond to work towards restoring peace in the valley. Malala said that the global leaders should listen to the voice of Kashmiris and help children go back to school. In a series of tweets, Malala said that in the past week she has spent time speaking with people living and working in occupied Kashmir, including journalists, human rights lawyers and students.
"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. She said that the girls told her that the best way to describe the situation in the valley right now is 'absolute silence'.
"We have no way of finding out what's happening to us. All we could hear is the steps of troops outside our windows. It was really scary," Malala quoted one of the Kashmiri girls as saying. She said that she is deeply concerned about the reports saying that 4,000 people including children, who have been arbitrarily arrested, students out of school more than 40 days and girls who are afraid of stepping outside their homes.
Malala shared the account of another Kashmiri girl lamenting her ordeal. The school girl said that she feels purposeless and depressed as she can't go to school. "I missed my exams on August 12 and I feel my future is insecure now. I want to be a writer and grow to be an independent, successful Kashmiri woman. But it seems to be getting more difficult as this continues." "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."