'Bring them back': In a first, top Army brass interact with families of Kashmir militants

In the first outreach of its kind, top Army and police brass on Tuesday interacted with over 80 families of militants active in the Kashmir Valley, urging them to “guide their wards back into society”.

It was the first time top police and Army officers directly interacted with family members of militants in south Kashmir, that has seen unabated violence in the last five years. PTI reported that the families that came were from south Kashmir districts such as Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag.

At the interaction, General Officer Commanding, 15 Corps, Lt Gen D P Pandey, requested the families to convince their children to give up guns and return to the mainstream. He also assured the families that the forces would work with the youth who shun arms, and “address their concerns and help them join the mainstream”.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar and GoC, Victor Force, Maj Gen Rashim Bali were among those who interacted with the families in south Kashmir’s Shopian.

The army commander also cautioned the families against the "white-collar" terrorists roaming among the general masses. He said "while the children of these while-collar terrorists are enjoying and studying in the rest of the country, your children are targeted by these people".