Indo-Pak Nationals Share Nobel Peace Prize Amid Tensions At Border

At a time of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan due to frequent ceasefire violations, both the countries shared the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. India’s children rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who defied Taliban diktat, were declared the joint winners of the prize. Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjoern Jagland, made this announcement today.

Yousafzai, 17, has now become the youngest Nobel Prize winner. Earlier, this record was held by Australia-born British scientist Lawrence Bragg, who was 25 when he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915.

While making the announcement, Jagland said, “Children must go to school, not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation."

Satyarthi has led several peaceful protests against exploitation of children for financial gains. He has also played an important role in developing important international conventions on children’s rights. After winning the award, Satyarthi said, "I am thankful to those who supported me."

"The Nobel Committee regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism. Many other individuals and institutions in the international community have also contributed. It has been calculated that there are 168 million child labourers around the world today. In 2000, the figure was 78 million higher. The world has come closer to the goal of eliminating child labour," the committee said.