Reformed stone-pelters are shining in professional careers

 

Editorial

Separatist leaders have succeeded in deluding Kashmiris but not all of them, nor for all times. Now, some of their services and sports. Separatists call such individuals tumcoats but some parents, also, implore their young ones not to indulge in stone pelting and other such activities and not join the violence-loving organisations like the Lashkar-e-Toba or Jaish e-Mohammad Twenty-year-old footballer Majid Khan, who had joined the Lent has returned home after his mother made an appeal to him which went viral via the social media. From 2010 onwards the social media, there was a tool optimised by radicalised youth But, now ordinary parents make use of social media to implore youths who join militant organisations, return home One such mother sparked an unprecedented phenomenon Her son footballer Majid Khan had joined Lashkar-Toiba. He responded to his mother's plaintive cry in a video that went viral on social media. After a short while Majid retumed home Commenting on this happening. Sualen Keen a cultural critic, said "The mother's appeal created a stir because the mother-son relationship is very important. A wailing mother's cries will always create social pressure against militancy.

Inspired by Majid's mother, more matriarchs, across Kashmir are making video appeals, asking their sons to give up guns and return home. Mothers of several teen-age youngsters, who had joined militant organisations made similar appeals and with good results. These include, Irfan Ahmed Rather, of Sharifabad Traal who had joined Hizb-ul Mujahideen. Asiad Ahmad Shah of Chogal Handwara, Aaquib Iqbal Malik of Ringpath, Noorabad, Kulgam and Malik Asif, of Gund.

Until 2010, there were lew Kashmiris on social media. A few common Kashmins were on Facebook as individuals, getting connected with old friends, some lost due to time and circumstances and some due to displacement, triggered by terrorism Most of them were engaged in social and cultural discourse over the Kashmin language, cuisine and humour Now, Jammu and Kashmir Police, also, is on social media giving quick updates about encounters and sacrifices of the security force personnel. Many parents are coming to police and try to bring back their misled children. Police tries to help them by facilitating and circulating the parents' appeals. Security forces, too, are taking parents' help in getting their sons, who have joined militant groups, to surrender. This policy is followed even. during encounters The Police forces first policy is to ask militants to surrender youngster supporters want to pursue careers in education civil in response to the parents appeals.

Like the majority of the youths Kashmir youths are becoming career and sports minded Qudsia Altaf takes pride in training both girls and boys under 14 and under-17 teams. In 2016 She gave up her civil engineering dream to help people in distress. She enrolled at the National Institute of Sports, in Patiala, to train herself as a football coach, a sport she has loved and played for nine years. She is nursing a regret that she could not represent India despite playing at district and state levels. She now wants to take her football team to an international event. In Qudsia's words "My dream is to see these boys represent India at international events. I want to wean them away from guns, stone-pelling, drugs and smoking. There is a bright chance for them to make their country proud"

When Qudsia started her work more than three dozen stone pelters flocked to her. About them, she said: "They are all good and reformed people who come to me now. They want to do well for India. "Herself, she has decided to keep her academic pursuits with another bachelor degree in interior designing yet she is thrilled with her new job as a coach at J&K State Sports Council. As part of her new sports policy. Chief Minister Mehbooba Muhi has taken Qudsia as football coach for the under-14 and under-17 girls and boys teams Qudsia has now become one of the 198 such coaches for different sports, such as athletics, hockey volleyball basketball, who have been recruited as part of an arrangement between the State Government and the Centre under the PM special package of Khelo India Programme. Seeing Altaf's success, the Sports Council has identified 200 stone-pellers and decided to teach them football at local playgrounds.

In a similar sprint, many Kashmiri youngsters dely separatists' threats and express their desire to join the Indian Army 1,300 of them took the Army Recruitment test at two centres set up in Srinagar and Palan. Some such young men distinguished themselves in civil service and engineering competitions. One of them stood first in the Indian Civil Service exam, another topped in the engineering competitive test

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Courtesy:- Jagannath Dhar  and  Koshur Samachar 2018, January