NOBEL LAUREATE Malala Yousafzai has said that her dream is to see India and Pakistan become 'good friends'.
She added that the old philosophy of having borders and divisions doesn't work anymore and the people in both the countries want to live in peace.
Malala was speaking on her book 'I Am Malala: The story of the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban' on the concluding day of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) held virtually on Sunday (28).
She pointed out that minorities need protection in every country, be it Pakistan or India, adding that the issue is not related to religion but to the 'exploitation of power' and must be taken seriously.
Malala said the news of internet shutdown and arrests of activists 'protesting peacefully' in India is 'worrying' and hoped that
the government will make sure that people are heard.
She said: "It is my dream to see India and Pakistan become true good friends and that we can visit each other's countries. You can continue to watch Pakistani dramas, we can continue to watch Bollywood movies and enjoy cricket matches.
"You are Indian and I am Pakistani and we are completely fine, then why is this hatred created between us?. The actual enemy of India and Pakistan is 'poverty, discrimination and inequality' and both
countries should unite and fight them, not each other."
During the event, Malala also raised voice for minorities across the world. "Minorities are at risk. Minorities' rights are not given to them. Be it Hindus and Christians in Pakistan, Muslims, Dalits and other minorities in India ... Palestinians, Rohingya refugees," she said.
"Minorities need protection globally from every country. They need a voice, need protection, and it is a reminder to governments, to human rights organisations to take this very seriously."
She applauded Indian girls and young women fighting for human
rights, ''speaking out' for farmers in India, climate change and protection of minorities.
The 14th edition of JLF featured over 300 speakers and performers representing around 25 Indian and 18 international languages and over 23 nationalities.
Participants include American linguist Noam Chomsky, 2020 Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart, Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates, and actor-author Priyanka Chopra.
