Twitterati tells Indian journalist why it is wrong to criticize Malala’s support for Kashmiris’ rights

Pakistani and Indian Twitterati found a common cause to unite this week after an Indian journalist picked out a fight with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai when the rights activist drew world attention to predicament of Kashmiri students.  

Many among Twitter users joined hands in telling an Indian TV anchor Burkha Dutt why she is wrong in criticizing Malala Yousufzai over her criticism for Kashmiri girls’ losing an opportunity to education amid unprecedented lockdown of the disputed region.  

While some Indians rallied behind journalist Barkha Dutt, several Indians also questioned the rationale for her criticism pointing out what she called an irony that Malala, a 2012 terror attack survivor-cum-champion of education rights, who is studying in London cannot back to her home country.

An image of Malala Yousafzai Photo: UN

After weeks of silence on the burning South Asian issue, Malala, who is the youngest ever Nobel laureate for her commitment to education, posted a series of tweets on how she was upset at the plight of three Kashmiri girls who spoke of the grim situation in Kashmir.

But Malala’s reaction upset journalist Barkha Dutt, a known presence on Indian media scene, as Dutt tried to draw a parallel between the dire situation in Kashmir which is under state repression with the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, where groups like the Taliban have targeted voices like Malala and peaceful citizens.

“Disappointing to see @Malala wade into cliched Pakistan state narrative about #Kashmir when the hard truth is that she can never even return to her own country because she was shot for the rights of girls to go to school,” Dutt said.

Dutt’s tweet triggered a firestorm on the Twitter as social media users challenged the journalist’s apparent view that somebody facing terror in their home country had no business in criticizing human rights situation at a place facing heavily militarized state suppression.

A Twitter user pointed out the difference between what Pakistanis’ suffering at the hands of terrorist groups and Kashmiris’ pain under state represssion.

An Indian social media user likened Dutt’s criticism to the thinking of BJP, the ruling party of Indian Prime Minister Modi, which believes in exclusionary Hindutva ideology.

Some Twitter users saw no rationale in Dutt’s argument.

Burkha Dutt, who has been critical of the Indian policies and actions during her coverage of events on many occasions, said she was trying to underscore the irony in Malala’s reaction because she is not able to return. Dutt also covered the Kashmir crisis in the initial days after August 5 repeal of the constitutional guarantees that gave the UN-recognized disputed region a measure of autonomy.

But Pakistani users of the forum reminded the journalist that Malala was back in Pakistan last year.

Meanwhile, the situation in Indian administered Kashmir remains tense with the latest arrest former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, a move Burkha Dutt criticized.