Parents' appeal bear fruit: Another youth in Kashmir shuns militancy

Srinagar: Another youth in Kashmir has shun militancy and returned home after young Kashmiri footballer Majid Irshad Khan surrendered before the Army merely nine days after joining Lashkar-e-Taiba. 

“He has neither surrendered before the security forces nor been arrested,” said Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Munir Ahmed Khan. The 16-year-old boy heeded to his parents’ call and returned home in Chimmer village of Damhaal Hanjipora area of southern Kulgam district, Munir added.

The police refused to divulge his name for security reasons. “We don’t want him to land in trouble,” said a senior police official. He also said that the boy had left his home on September 27 to join a militant outfit.

The Jammu & Kashmir Police in a tweet said, “Responding to the appeal of parents one more youth who had joined militants returns home in South Kashmir." The police had on Sunday renewed its appeal to the local Kashmiri militants to shun militancy.

When 20-year-old footballer surrendered before the Army in Anantnag on November 16, the authorities had said that the move had a strategic value and could set the trend among the Kashmiri youth in the militants’ ranks to shun the gun and return home to lead normal life.   

Incidentally, J&K’s DG police Shesh Paul Vaid was on a visit to Kulgam on Monday to inaugurate a gymnasium for the police personnel when the news about another youth’s breaking away from the militants’ ranks and returning home broke.

Vaid tweeted: “On my visit to Kulgam I was told another local militant has come back home in response to appeal of his mother and other family members. Great news!”

He seized the occasion to reiterate the promise that the J&K police will “facilitate and help youth who have joined militants’ ranks to return home.”

The CRPF, which along with the J&K police and the Army is combating militancy in the state, has, meanwhile, set up a help line for the local militants who wish to surrender and return home to lead normal life.

“I think we’re entering the stage wherein a large number of local youth who joined militancy wants to give up the gun. I want to assure them that they are free to return home to lead normal life. In fact, we want them to shun violence and it is for that reason that we have set up a 24x7 help line (14411) for them,” said CRPF’s Inspector General (Operations) Zulfikar Hassan.

He reassured, “We will help them beyond their expectations and there will no harassment. The ‘Madadgaar’ (helper) help line can be used by the militants who wish to surrender or their parents who want them to shun the gun.” 

Meanwhile, a short video of the ailing parents of yet another militant Ashiq Hussain Bhat alias Abu Maaz has emerged on social media. The parents have appealed him to return home.

The police said that Bhat is a resident of southern Shopian district.