’I’m not Malala, I’m safe in India’: Kashmiri activist Yana Mir’s speech in UK Parliament goes viral

Yana Mir, a Kashmiri activist and journalist, said in the UK Parliament that she “will never ever be a Malala Yusufzai”, emphasising that she is completely safe and free in "Kashmir, which is a part of India". Her speech has now taken the internet by storm. 

BJP media in-charge for Kashmir Sajid Yousuf Shah shared the video on Friday and alleged that Yana Mir already received threats because of the viral speech.

"Two minutes of Yana Mir's video in the UK Parliament has taken the internet by storm. Pakistan and its propaganda machinery have issued threats to Yana Mir. Toolkit gang" has been quite active for the past 48 hours. More power to you Yana," he tweeted.

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The viral video

In her statement at the 'Sankalp Divas' hosted by the UK Parliament in London, Yana Mir said, "I am not Malala Yusufzai. I am not Malala Yusufzai because I am free and safe in my country India, in my homeland Kashmir, which is part of India."

"I will never need to runaway from my homeland and seek refuge in your country, honourable MPs. I will never ever be a Malala Yusufzai, but I object Malala Yusufzai defaming my country, my progressing homeland by calling it oppressed," Yana Mir said.

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Malala Yousafzai is a youngest-ever Nobel laureate and renowned education activist. She was shot by Taliban in 2012 for opposing their restrictions on female education in Pakistan. After surviving the attack, Yousafzai was airlifted abroad and underwent surgery. Unable to return to Pakistan after her recovery, Yousafzai had then moved to Britain.

Concluding her speech, Yana Mir slammed "all toolkit members from social media and international media, who have never cared to visit Indian Kashmir but fabricate stories of oppression from there". She 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," she added.

BJP leader Sajid Yousuf Shah shared Yana Mir's video which went viral on social media on Friday. Mir had post the video on her X account on February 21.

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Who is Yana Mir

Yana Mir is Kashmir activist and journalist. Her bio on X says that she is the Vice President of the All JK Youth Society (AJKYS). She also described herself as a TedX Speaker. On her Youtube channel, she said she was “Kashmiri Political Analyst.”.

During the event in the UK, Mir received the Diversity Ambassador Award for championing diversity in the J&K region.

"Alhamdulillah, Today I received with Honor, the @jksc_uk Diversity Ambassador Award in the UK Parliament from honorable MP Theresa Villiers in the presence of MPs @BobBlackman @VirendraSharma and other prominent personalities from the UK political fraternity," she said in a post on X.