Shun terrorism and come back home: A mother from Srinagar makes emotional appeal to missing son

Jammu: A middle-aged woman from Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday made an emotional appeal to her missing son to shun terrorism and return home.

The appeal was made by Maimoona, a resident of Khanyar in Srinagar, who urged her missing son - a student of class 10th standard - to come back home as the family was worried about him.

The woman claims that her son had gone for prayers but went missing. 

''My son went for prayers and didn't return home,'' she said.

#Srinagar: Khanyar resident Maimoona appeals to her son, a 10th standard student, to shun militancy, return home, says,'My son went for prayers & didn't return home.'On being asked how she got to know of it,she said,'I saw his photo on internet,everyone in the family was shocked' pic.twitter.com/UcwMgwh2ja

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2018

Much to their shock, the family later got to know that their son has joined a terrorist group waging a jihad in Kashmir.

The family also came across his pictures on the internet.

This is one of the several reported cases of misguided youths from Jammu and Kashmir joining the jihad.

There have been concerns in the defence establishment too over the rising number of youths from the Kashmir Valley joining terrorism in the recent past.

According to the military intelligence, the spurt in local youths joining terrorism began after the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen’s Burhan Wani in south Kashmir on July 8, 2016.

The recruitment of youths into terrorist organisations has been largely noticed in areas like Tral, Batapora, Panjgaon and Yaripora in South Kashmir with terror group Hizbul Mujahideen taking the lead. 

In North Kashmir, youths from areas like Palhalan to Sopore are mostly recruited by Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Last September, when floods wreaked havoc in the Kashmir Valley and in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless, Pakistani terrorist and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafeez Saeed had reportedly asked the Lashkar-e-Toiba to recruit youths from the affected families. 

However, the Centre, on its part, has been trying hard to prevent youths from joining militancy by creating employment avenues.

Last year in July, the Home Ministry approved a long pending demand of the state government to raise five new battalions of Indian Reserve Police with an aim to provide employment to nearly 5,500 youths.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti too recently said that guns can never do away with the tension prevailing in the militancy-hit state. Instead, only talks can solve the problems.

Urging for peace, Mufti said that the conditions at the border are not good. Both India and Pakistan should talk, she stressed.