12 militants surrender in J-K

Minister for Power Nawang Rigzin Jora, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and parents of the surrendered militants were among those present.

Among the surrendered militants, Manzoor Ahmad alias Furqan Ali, Mumtaz Ali alias Asif Rahi and Abdul Qayoom alias Imran Khan were active for more than a decade. They served as the main source of motivation to militants between Banihal to Reasi which is likely to become substantially quiet now. Asif and Furqan were close associates of Billu Gujjar, the most dreaded militant of Gool area after whose elimination Asif had substituted him and kept his network active in the area.

The two militants of Kellar area who surrendered, namely Abdul Latief Taidwa alias Zuabirullha and Riyaz Ahmad Kholi alias Sajad, were PSOs of Nisar Ahmad alias Misbahudin, the chief commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who was recently apprehended by Srinagar police.

The arms and ammunition surrendered by militants include 10 AK-56 rifles, two SLRs, 26 AK magazines,two SLR magazines, seven grenades, 777 AK rounds, 44 SLR rounds, two wireless sets, two RC IED and eightpouches.

The surrender is seen as a severe setback to the militant outfit and is bound to instill confidence in the minds of people in the concerned areas.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister described the surrender by the HM militants as sequel to peace initiatives of government. In the past 19 years, as many as 4,000 militants had surrendered before the authorities. He said militants were increasingly realising the futility of violence and wanted to abdicate the path of terror and join back the national mainstream.

The Chief Minister urged the parents of militants to persuade their children to return to the path of peace and contribute to the development of the state. He said he was hopeful that the agenda of peace and development pursued by his government would encourage more youth to shun violence and return to the mainstream.