Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'A great moment for both India and Pakistan!' that was published in Newsband

A great moment for both India and Pakistan!

An Indian and Pakistani won the Nobel Peace prize for 2014. The fact that this has been awarded to two South Asian activists in the field of child rights, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, should be a thing of pride for every Asian. Malala is a thoughtful and fearless teenager who, despite deadly opposition, lit a path to learning and liberation for girls in Pakistan while Kailash is a 60-year old campaigner from India who has worked to liberate children from the shackles of compulsory labour and bondage.

Malala is, at 17, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever. Malala firmly believed in education for girls. She was an outspoken child who fought a public campaign for the right to education, surviving even an attempt on her life. She continues to lead the battle for girls’ education from her current location in Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Satyarthi, a founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Campaign), has led the rescue of over 78,500 children from bondage. He gave shape to the Global March Against Child Labour. He too sees education as the key instrument for the liberation of children from poverty, exploitation and neglect. Satyarthi worked hard for children for last about 30 years.

This is really a great day for Indian sub continent. Nobel peace prize for Malala and Satyarthi proves that area of child education and child labour is at an alarming stage. This is the time for both our government and society to make plans to save the child from adverse situation. It is very shocking that in spite of the great service rendered by Satyarthi for the cause of children, he has become famous among the general public after Nobel award. It shows that we are not aware about child welfare activities.

If India and Pakistan can jointly win Nobel Peace Prize, can't they jointly endeavour for a peaceful coexistence? It is a pity that when two souls forty years apart struggle to carve out an educated and sensible generation, the borders of their respective homelands are shelled. Perhaps the policy makers of the two nations must learn a thing or two about peace from these Nobel laureates.

Child labour is a serious problem and so much effort needs to be put in to eradicate this problem. What this award had done is that it has put this problem in the limelight and now it the duty of the government to take some concrete steps in this direction.

The award has been given to two bold personalities from two nations for a single cause - child development, to relieve them from the dark and bleak side of labor and from the clutches of religious bigots. This is an honor for each and every citizens of both the nations.