In ‘ghar wapsi’ mode, 50 militants in J&K have surrendered in 2020

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz New Oct 31 : In an overnight encounter at Noorpora, Tral, the residential neighbourhood of the most prominent neutralised militants Zakir Musa and Burhan Wani, one unidentified militant was killed late in the night on October 26.
His associate, Saquib Akbar Waza (21) of Gulshanpora, listened to the appeals from the officers of Rashtriya Rifles 42 battalion and the Senior Superintendent of Police of Awantipora, Tahir Saleem. He laid down his arms and came out.
South Kashmir has been a hub of militancy after Burhan Wani’s emergence as Hizbul Mujahieen’s poster boy and his killing in an encounter in July 2016.
Saquib’s surrender before the security forces was in sharp contrast to the videos that went viral in the social media in the last three years.
Those videos, showing the holed up militants turn down passionate appeals from their parents — and in some cases mothers themselves praying ‘martyrdom’ for their militant sons and boosting their morale — made hundreds pick arms and stones. Many of them died in encounters and clashes between stone-pelting crowds and security forces.
The video that went viral on October 27 made many Kashmiris cry. It showed the bearded young guerrilla being taken into custody affectionately by the Army and the police officers. They arranged Saquib’s reunion with his family.