At least 45 youths join militancy in 2018; security establishment taken by surprise

At least 45 youths from the Kashmir Valley including an MBA and a PhD scholar have joined militancy this year till mid-April, according to officials, as the unusual surge in numbers take the security establishment by surprise.

According to the top brass of the security establishment in the border state, Shopian and Kulgam in south Kashmir have emerged as a major hub by respectively accounting for 12 and 9 of the 45 youths.

The other areas of south Kashmir which have witnessed youths taking to militancy are Anantnag (seven), Pulwama (four) and Awantipura (three). Moreover, unconfirmed reports, which were in the process of verification, suggest that three more from Pulwama had joined militant groups, officials said today.

Similarly, in north Kashmir, one youth from Handwara, two from Kupwara, one each from Bandipora and Sopore and one from Srinagar have disappeared in the recent past and are suspected to have joined militant organisations, they said.

This includes Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, 26, an MBA degree holder from Kashmir university, and son of Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai, who took over as chairman of Tehrek-e-Hurriyat from Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Teherik-e-Hurriyat is a pro-Pakistan amalgam of separatists groups.

The list also includes a 26-year-old PhD scholar Mannan Bashir Wani hailing from Kupwara, officials said. Wani was studying in the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

According to officials, every funeral of a local militant spawns at least two additions to the ranks of militant groups. The Valley has witnessed killing of of at least 55 militants including 27 locals this year.

"It has become a bottom less pit. We engage, counter, eliminate or make them surrender and the very next day, social media gives us proof of birth of another militant. This vicious cycle needs to be broken," said a senior army official who is engaged in anti-militancy operations.

Ruling party politicians from south Kashmir have reportedly abandoned their ancestral homes and housed themselves in well-fortified accomodations in Srinagar or Jammu. Efforts to seek their comments on the situation in their constituencies did not yield any result as they were reluctant to be drawn into any debate related to militancy.

A senior politician, who did not wish to be named, said: "Never has this situation arisen when space for mainstream politicians has shrunk to this extent. It is a scary situation".

Security agencies believe that in April there has seen a conspicuous rise in the number of locals joining various militant groups after 13 local terrorists were killed in encounters with security forces in Shopian and Anantnag.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been quite vocal about PDP-BJP government's alleged failure in checking the rising trend of youths joining militancy.

"Mehbooba Mufti's biggest and least talked about failure has been the massive jump in the numbers of young Kashmiri men joining the ranks of militant organisations," he had tweeted earlier.

On more and more locals joining militancy, he had said, "...Is no one in a position of power in Delhi alarmed by this because I certainly am!"