The misguided youth should choose life over death, feel the pain of their parents
Sheikh Khalid Jehangir
Gun has emerged as the biggest enemy of Kashmir and Kashmiris. The people of Kashmir have realised it and want to get rid of it. The footballer turned militant Majid Khan’s laying down the arms and returning home on the appeal of his parents has set the ball rolling.
Since the day Majid returned, many parents have taken to social media and are urging their wards to return home. Many young boys have returned home during the recent past and many more are planning to desert the militant ranks.
Parents of the young boys have realised that gun has not yielded anything. Nor would it yield anything in future. The realisation about gun and violence being futile is making parents of the misguided youth think twice. They have realised that their children have been misled on the name of ‘Jihad’ and so-called Azadi. They are making fervent appeal to their wards to shun violence and come home.
Kashmiri local boys deserting militant ranks have not gone well with the terror bosses and terrorist handlers sitting across the Line of Control (LoC). They have started threatening local youth of dire consequences if they give up arms. The foreign terrorists in Kashmir are even intimidating the parents of the youth to stop making appeals. In some cases the parents have been told that their wards would be beheaded if they don’t stop calling them back.
The so-called Azadi seekers, Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Hurriyat dove, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and terrorist turned so-called peace lover Yasin Malik too seem to be perturbed by the growing trend of Kashmiri youth giving up arms. They are issuing fiery statements to keep the pot boiling and are trying to make people believe that these youth are dying for Kashmir. But the fact of the matter is that separatists have been the biggest beneficiaries of the prevailing turmoil in Kashmir. They have built mansions on the bodies of slain people during the past thirty years. Their thirst for the blood is not allowing Kashmiri youth breathe freely. Only Almighty knows how many more graveyards they want to get filled. The trend which is worrying every sane person in Kashmir is that young boys who are just in their teens are leaving their homes and getting killed as the pressure of the security forces is mounting on them.
The “Operation All Out” started by the security forces this year has been a great success as 190 militants have been killed till date and the entire leadership of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba has been wiped from Kashmir. The JeM terrorists, who were pushed in to carry out fidayeen attacks by the terror bosses sitting in Pakistan, have been wiped out. The security agencies are having an upper hand.
During twenty-seven years of proxy war Kashmir has been shattered and is lagging far behind in every field. Kashmir has lost its two generations. Now there is every possibility losing its third generation too. Kashmiris are being called terrorists. No Muslim country has shed a single tear on our pitiable condition of Kashmir and Kashmiris.
People like Geelani, Mirwaiz, Malik and others should take some pity on Kashmiri boys. The so-called Hizbul chief, Syed Salahuddin, whose own family members are away from all this mess, should also take pity on the parents of the Kashmiri youth of his own community. These people have been calling shots on the dead bodies of Kashmiri youth and have turned them into cannon fodder. Parents of Kashmiri youth are fed up and the frequent appeals being made by them asking their children to return home are an ample proof of it. These people (hate mongers) need to see the writing on the wall and allow Kashmiris and Kashmir to live in peace rather than selling dreams to them.
People who talk about Azadi and Pakistan should realise that during the three decades’ old turmoil Pakistan has not been able to get even a single inch of Kashmir nor would it ever get anything in future also. The only dispute which India has to resolve with the neighbouring country is the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which it has been occupying illegally. Indian armed forces are strong enough to deal with the militants present in Kashmir and even with the Pakistan Army. Since the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken over the reins of the country, he has changed the entire narrative. Our jawans don’t show white flags anymore. They retaliate to each and every action of the enemy with full force. Pakistan is getting a befitting reply everyday. Infiltration has declined as most of the terrorists who try to enter into Jammu & Kashmir get killed on the Line of Control (LoC) as alert jawans don’t allow them to cross the hinterland.
Kashmiri youths need to understand that India is a big country and tackling a few hundred odd militants is no big deal. Despite their picking up the arms, the government has extended a hand of friendship and reconciliation towards them. It’s a magnanimous gesture and they should reciprocate as they are too young to die. If they don’t give up arms, they will end up getting killed like their other accomplices. And the biggest sufferers would be their family members.
People like Geelani and his ilk have got nothing to lose. Feel the pain of your parents and choose life over death. They are waiting for you to return.
(The writer is Srinagar-based freelancer)
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