NEW YORK: A coalition of Muslim and human rights organizations called on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to cancel its plans to award Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi its Global Goalkeeper Award, citing Modi’s revocation of the disputed Kashmir region’s special status.

On August 5, Modi announced plans to scrap the constitutional article giving Kashmir autonomy, putting down a repressive lockdown and cutting internet and communications services.

Nobel Prize Laureates criticise Gates Foundation’s award for Modi

Three Nobel Prize Laureates had earlier demanded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to rescind its award to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for blatant basic human rights violations in the Occupied Kashmir, attacks on minorities in India and his role in horrific massacre of Gujarat .

In their joint letter addressed to Foundation, Mairead Maguire, Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman, and Shirin Ebadi expressed their serious reservations, saying that they were deeply disturbed to discover that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would be giving an award to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.

Honoring Modi: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation criticized

Many human rights activists and organisations have criticized Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after it announced that it would bestow The Global Gatekeeper award on Far-Right Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognition of his endeavors towards ameliorating sanitation in India.

The protesting activists, quoting human rights violations in Kashmir under Modi’s BJP government, have demanded rescinding the award.

The award is due to be given later this month celebrating Clean India Program under which millions of toilets were constructed in order to augment hygiene awareness.

News Pakistan