Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi
The Norwegian Academy has done a wonderful job when it awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 jointly to Pakistani child education activist MalalaYousafzai and India’s champion of child rights Kailash Satyarthi.
There is no doubt that the Academy officials were fully aware of the fact that Pakistan and India are now in dire need of peace more than any other countries despite the rich history of both nations that bind them together with similarities in traditions and lifestyles of their peoples.
The two nations were one before the partition of the subcontinent. However, they have been in bitter hostility and continuous conflicts ever since achieving independence from the British colonial rule and the partition in 1947. They fought a number of wars mainly over Kashmir. Skirmishes on the borders between the two countries continued without any halt. Several people on both sides of the borders lost their lives in the escalating tension. The recent incidents sounded alarming signals of another war looming between the two countries. In view of this, awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize jointly to two icons of child rights from the neighboring rival countries attained paramount significance and ignited fresh hope and optimism. What drew the attention of many of the observers is the size of contradictions in the Academy’s choice of Nobel laureates for this year.
As for Malala, she is a 17-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl. She belongs to a Muslim country, which is seceded from India to be the homeland of the Muslims in the subcontinent. Malala came into the limelight after she was shot in the head by one of the Taliban militants. She had a miraculous escape from the bid on life. What infuriated the militants was her intensive campaign for the education of girls in Pakistan and other parts of the world, especially in the picturesque Swat Valley, where from she hails.
The attack on Malala had wide repercussions not only in Pakistan but outside the country. People from all parts of the world came out showing their sympathy toward her mainly because of the fact that she came under attack because of her demand for women’s education, which stems from the Islamic values. Islam calls on Muslim men and women on an equal footing to acquire knowledge.
On the other hand, Satyarthi, the co-winner of the prestigious prize, is a 60-year-old Hindu from India. He spent most of his life in championing the cause of children by protecting their rights and saving them from forced labor. He always called for giving them education and halting their exploitation. To realize this objective, he worked hand in hand with several local and foreign organizations and individuals who have been championing the same cause. He has received many international awards that recognize his efforts for child rights. His work as an activist, spanning over several decades, highlights the heroic struggle against child labor in India.
Malala and Satyarthi have won respect and accolades from the governments and people of Pakistan and India as well as from people all over the world. The international media gave prominent coverage to the demand made by Malala to US President Barack Obama, during the Nobel laureate’s recent visit to White House, to stop drone strikes targeting Taliban militants in Pakistan. “I thanked President Obama for the United States’ work in supporting education in Pakistan and Afghanistan and for Syrian refugees. I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism.
Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people. If we refocus efforts on education it will make a big impact,” she said in a statement after the meeting.
I believe that these two Nobel laureates can play an effective role in repairing the strained relations between the two countries and distancing the specter of war between them in addition to bringing peace and harmony in place of tension and strife. It is a well-known fact that Kashmir is the core issue that strains the bilateral relations. The two neighboring countries fought several wars over this issue. In view of this, why don’t the two Nobel laureates work for realizing peace between Pakistan and India? They can exert efforts to find a solution to Kashmir problem, which is regarded as one of the oldest problems on the international arena. Is there n’t any exemplary example for the political leadership of both the countries in the recently held referendum in Scotland when a section of the Scottish people wanted to secede from the United Kingdom? There had been neither any conflicts nor any wars broke out in that part of UK over the demand for secession. On the other hand, there was an agreement to hold a referendum by which the Scottish people can decide their fate of either continue remaining as part of UK or secede and establish a new independent state. When the date for referendum was fixed, those who supported and opposed the secession started persuading the people to vote in favor of them. The Scottish people were given total freedom to opt for either of the two choices. On the day of referendum, people moved in a peaceful atmosphere to the polling booths to cast their ballots, and the results showed that the majority of people wanted to stay within the United Kingdom.
A similar referendum was held in Sudan that resulted in the secession of South Sudan even though the situation was entirely different from that of Scotland. In Sudan, an agreement was reached on holding referendum at the end of a civil war that lasted for more than 20 years and as a result of foreign intervention and international mediation. The secession of South Sudan was a great loss for Sudan by losing not only half of its land but a great chunk of its oil resources as well. However, the losses caused by the continuation of civil war were the severest and harshest.
Why don’t the Nobel laureates from the two countries try to convince the parties involved to hold the referendum, which was proposed by the United Nations more than 60 years ago, so as to allow the Kashmiri people to decide their own destiny and solve the problem that caused a lot of tragedies? The leaders of both the nations shall remember the historic fact that great leaders have taken tough decisions.
— Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at algham@hotmail.com
