London: Yana Mir, a Kashmiri activist, condemned Pakistan’s propaganda to “dent India’s image on the international stage” and expressed that she is completely safe and free in “Kashmir, which is a part of India.”
Yana, who is also a journalist, was addressing a ‘Sankalp Divas’ event hosted by Jammu & Kashmir Study Centre UK (JKSC) in the British Parliament building, according to an ANI report.
Pointing out distinctions between herself and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, Yana said: “I am not a Malala Yousafzai, because I will never have to run away from my home country. I am free, and I am safe in my country India, in my home in Kashmir which is part of India.”
“I will never be a Malala Yusufzai but I object to Malala for defaming my country, my progressive homeland, by calling it oppressed. I object to all such toolkit members from social media and international media, who have never cared to visit Indian Kashmir but fabricate stories of oppression from there,” Yana added.
“I urge you to stop polarising Indians on the grounds of religion. We won’t allow you to break us. This year on Sankalp Divas, all I hope for is that our perpetrators living in the UK and Pakistan will stop maligning my country in international media or on international human rights forums. Stop unwanted selective outrage, stop trying to polarise Indian society by reporting from your UK living rooms. Thousands of Kashmiri mothers have already lost their sons because of terrorism. Stop coming after us and let my Kashmiri community live in peace. Thank you and Jai Hind,” Yana said.
Watch her speech in the video clip which has gone viral on X:
I am not a Malala
I am free and safe in my homeland #Kashmir, which is part of India
I will never need to runaway from my homeland and seek refuge in your country: Yana Mir @MirYanaSY in UK Parliament. #SankalpDiwas pic.twitter.com/3C5k2uAzBZ
— Sajid Yousuf Shah (@TheSkandar) February 22, 2024
Yana, who claims to be Kashmir’s first female vlogger, received the Diversity Ambassador Award for championing diversity in Jammu & Kashmir region during the event.
