It is widely believed and debated that unemployment forces educated Kashmiri youth to join militancy, but the theory of these theorists stands false when a ground report is taken into account. Harassment can be the case but unemployment has never been seen a reason that forces youth to pick up the gun.
Here is a flashback:
Shiraz Ahmed Ganaie, one among the three militants killed in Tral encounter last year is a glaring example to negate such theories. Ganaie was not jobless. He had earlier rejected a good job in the defence forces after cracking the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination for Assistant Commandant in armed forces.
Hailing from Panjran village of Pulwama district, a strong bastion of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganaie had turned down the job of Assistant Commandant in the military forces after he cracked the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Examination in May last year.
“He cracked the SSC examination. He went to Dehradun for coaching but returned back. He got the syllabus from there and started preparations for this exam at home. He got selected as Assistant Commandant. Army’s local 55 RR unit, at Lassipora on that day visited his home and informed him about the achievement. They congratulated him for cracking the examination. Army unit welcomed to join the forces, but he refused to join and continued with his academics,” locals said.
They said that before joining militancy, Ganaie was picked up by SOG personnel for a day, but he was released after few hours of questioning.
“My son Shiraz was M.A in Economics and was presently studying. Earlier, he had rejected the government job,” says his father Muhammad Sultan.
Sultan said he failed to understand what prompted his son to join militancy. “We are well off at home. I fail to understand what prompted my son to join militancy. I was providing him every possible comfort of life,” he said.
Ganaie had also qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET).
Ganaie along with the other militant Asif Bhat were the newly recruits and had joined militant outfit Hizbul Mujhadeen. They were undergoing training, which could be the reason they were not carrying AK 47 or any such fighting weapons when they got killed in an ambush.
He was buried in his native grave yard amid sobs and sighs in presence of hundreds of people who bid him adieu with tearful eyes.
Asif Ahmed Bhat had left the home soon barely a week after an encounter had taken place in his native village Chenigam. In that encounter his friend Manzoor Ahmed Malik was killed and soon after that, he without informing his family left the home.