Divided by nations, united by the Nobel
It was Malala's wish that Prime Ministers of both countries attend the award ceremony
Oslo: The legendary Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Awards ceremony at a concert, alongside India's famed sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and dance group BollyFlex UK when the Nobel Peace Prize will be presented to and shared between the youngest Nobel Prize winner ever, 17-year-old Taliban attack survivor Malala Yousafzai and Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi, 60, in a ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday.
Rahat, who won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 2011 for his song Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji from the movie Ishqiya, gives this year's ceremony a strong Indian-Pakistani touch, adding heft to calls on the eve of annual award ceremony by both Satyarthi and Yousafzai for the leaders of the two countries to embrace peace.
The teenage child rights activist said it was her wish that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the awards ceremony. “It would have been a great thing,” she said.
The uniting factor: Both Yousafzai and Satyarthi have been applauded globally for their work in helping to improve the lives of children. The prize has also been awarded as part of the committee’s efforts to unite India and Pakistan, given the uneasy relationship on the border.
Peace is not something which can be negotiated on the tables and made sustainable, neither is it something which can be taught in temples and mosques. Peace is every child’s human and fundamental right — Kailash Satyarthi