It has been the dream of every government which has remained in power in Jammu and Kashmir to bring back the ‘innocent’ local boys who have joined militancy. And every time the government of the day promised them to rehabilitate and also have provided them jobs in State Police force and some of them have been taken into para-military forces as part of healing touch and humane policy. In November 2010, the government notified the policy for the return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri youth who had crossed LoC to receive arms training but due to “change of their hearts” were willing to return. Under the policy the Wagah, Attari, Salamabad, Chakan-da-Bagh crossings on the International Border and Line of Control and the Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi have been identified as the legal routes for the return of the ‘refind’ militants. What Chief Minister Mehabooba Mufti had said at the Police Commemoration Day Parade at Srinagar too was the extension of the earlier rehabilitation policy advocated by the various governments. It was in June 2016 the government had told in Assembly that only one in 10 youth who cross over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training return taking advantage of the rehabilitation policy announced by the previous National Conference-Congress Government. Now she has appealed to the police and security forces to refrain from using weapons like pellet guns while dealing with protests and instead “tolerate” stone-pelting as a “sacrifice”. The Chief Minister said while the police had exhibited patience during the last three months of unrest in the Valley, there were some mistakes which warrant action. Government may be sincere in bringing the strayed youth into the main stream and would like to tackle in a more humane way so that there is less loss of human life but what people have been practicing is a blackmailing process holding the nation to ransom. Throughout the surrender and rehabilitation policy looks has not been able to make much inroads. The reasons like economic advantage, religious sentiments and lack of education to some extent give some impetus to the movement. Except for the recent time, youth who are fond of social mediums like Facebook and video circulation find an edge for promoting the ‘alter ego’ among youth; under such conditions the ‘holding hand’ policy of the government will find again very few takers.
