A terrorist should be treated like a terrorist, says Jitendra Singh
Union minister added that majority of Kashmiri youth have already become an essential part of India’s growth story
JAMMU: Following Tehreek-ehurriyat chief Ashraf Sehrai’s refusal to request his son to shun militancy, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said that such people who do not want to bring people back into the mainstream should also be treated like terrorists and there can be no leniency or premium on terrorism.
Sehrai’s son Junaid Khan reportedly joined terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, a day after he went missing from Jammu and Kashmir.
“The majority of youth in Kashmir are part of the mainstream development journey of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and they do not wish to be deprived of the enormous opportunities being availed by their counterparts and peers across the country,” he said in a statement issued at New Delhi.
At the same time, he said, a keen endeavour is continuously going on to bring back into the mainstream, a few of the youth who have gone astray. But, he hastened to add that there can be no leniency or premium on terrorism and a terrorist is to be treated like a terrorist.
He made the statement while responding to mediapersons’ queries about the new Hurriyat chief Ashraf Sehrai’s refusal to dissuade his son from joining the Hizbul ranks.
Lauding the role of security forces in Kashmir, Singh said, “Even while following hot pursuit against terrorists and Pakistan-sponsored militancy, the security personnel were constantly striving to motivate the local youth not to fall prey to false propaganda or allurement to join the militant ranks.”
The majority of Kashmir youth today, Singh observed, have already become an essential part of New India’s growth story. He said that this was evident from the fact that since the last few years, there is invariably a topper in the civil services exam (IAS) from the most terror-affected districts of the Kashmir valley.
“For example, in 2016, the second ranker was from Anantnag and in the latest exam of 2017, the 10th ranker too was from the Valley,” he added.
Similarly, he said, nearly 20 young boys and girls from the Kashmir valley cleared the prestigious IIT/JEE exams last year.
He also hailed the Modi government’s decision to raise two battalions of security forces exclusively for the recruitment of youth living in the border areas..