New Delhi: Against the backdrop of Shiv Sena protests against Pakistani personalities, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday deplored "intolerance" in the society and said "tolerance, friendship and love" was the way for India and Pakistan to move forward.
"It's tragic what has happened and what is happening right now, that there is intolerance in the society and people not respecting each other. If you want both the countries to go forward then it's important to respect each other and work together. This is what we need right now... tolerance, friendship, love for each other and this is the way we can go forward. I am hopeful that we will see peace between the two countries. It has been my dream," she told the NDTV.
Malala was asked how she felt when the "group", which was protesting against Pakistani's coming to India, described her as "a symbol of peace" who was welcome to the country.
Despite its opposition to Pakistani personalities, Shiv Sena had recently said it wanted the child education activist to become a peace ambassador between the two countries.
"She is a true messenger of peace because she has shed her blood for promoting peace. Drama of other politicians will continue but if there are only a hundred Malalas in Pakistan, terrorism will forever be eliminated from her country," senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said, while calling for making the
youngest Nobel laureate an ambassador of peace.
Malala also said sharing the Nobel prize with India's child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi was a honour for her.
"When I received the Nobel Peace Prize together with Kailash Satyarthi, I was honoured that I received it with him together. He had so much ambition to have good relations between Pakistan and India. So, meeting him was amazing. There was no difference. Just (because we are) two people from different countries, it should not stop you from becoming friends or living together or connecting. Even when we are from different countries that does not mean we cannot exist together," she added.
