Daily Lessons from Life 11 October 2014 - Pakistani teen, Indian activist win Nobel Peace PrizeReutersFriday, Oct 10, 2014

"Pakistani teen, Indian activist win Nobel Peace Prize - Reuters Oct 10, 2014

Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 for advocating girls' right to education, and Indian children's right activist Kailash Satyarthi won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

Yousafzai, aged 17, becomes the youngest Nobel Prize winner by far.

Satyarthi, 60, and Yousafzai were picked for their struggle against the oppression of children and young people, and for the right of all children to education, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

The award was made at a time when hostilities have broken out between India and Pakistan along the border of the disputed, mainly Muslim region of Kashmir - the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals in more than a decade.

"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," said Thorbjoern Jagland, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Yousafzai was attacked in 2012 on a school bus in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan by masked gunmen as a punishment for a blog that she started writing for the BBC's Urdu service as an 11-year-old to campaign against the Taliban's efforts to deny women an education.

Unable to return to Pakistan after her recovery, Yousafzai moved to Britain, setting up the Malala Fund and supporting local education advocacy groups with a focus on Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria and Kenya."

An honour for sure. A big responsibility too to honour the honour given for a young 17-year old.

Lessons for me are:

1. Nobel Peace Prize has been controversial as far as I am concerned. Some of the past winners do not get my respect as they are mainly politicians. Even Mother Theresa has her detractors when she won the Nobel Peace Prize. What more the like of Henry Kissenger and his Vietcong counterpart, President Obama who just had to 'talk about world peace' without delivering any concrete results, etc;

2. It is interesting to note that India and Pakistan had some ongoing borders tension again lately and that the Peace Prize Committee decided it is important to highlight that a Hindu and a Muslim from India and Pakistan should be joint winners. While it is hopeful, the pragmatists will know that it is hoped against hope that this will INFLUENCE the interested parties from making enemies of each other!;

3. it is POINTEDLY glaring to me that Ms Malala has to LIVE in the UK as she is NOT able to return to Pakistan! Surely the people of Pakistan CAN make a difference to the country's political and social situation instead of letting some interested groups hijacked the national agenda and focus VERY NARROWLY on Islam right?

Anyway, it is internal affairs and best leave to the Pakistanis people to decide what kind of future their nation deserve.

4. as for Ms Malala, I wish her well and that she has the resolve and wisdom to keep on THIS path without being corrupted as so many 'originally good intention Samaritans' gone astray after amassing fame, then fortune! For one so young, she is quite eloquent as evident in some of her speeches given in prominent forums around the world. She should be right.

Keep walking ...

p/s: Maybe we should nominate Mr Lee Kuan Yew for Nobel Peace Prize next year as he had done a lot to keep Asean and Asia peaceful after WWII. Yes? OK, no as he is a politician too.