Srinagar, Jul 26: Army chief General Bipin Rawat Friday appealed to Kashmiri youth to shun guns and come back to the mainstream for a peaceful future.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat while laying wreath at Kargil War Memorial as part of celebration of 20 years of ‘Operation Vijay’ said that any local youth who picks up the gun is no longer innocent.
He said that army is trying hard to motivate families of these “misguided” youth to compel them to shun guns and come back to the mainstream.
“See, anybody who picks up the gun against the army… The gun and the man will be separated. The man will go to the grave and the gun will be with us. But this is not the end of everything. We are reaching out to the people to shun the gun and come over-ground,” Army chief said.
“We have opened a number of goodwill schools. Let me tell you one thing. Not one person from the school has joined militancy and not one person has become a stone thrower. We are giving the right education that your future lies in educating yourself, finding a good job for yourself and looking after the family,” Rawat said.
He said that no parent wants his children to do PhD only to become a militant.
“The parents prepare them to be graduates and PhDs in the hope that in their old-age they can help them but that is not happening,” he said.
Rawat also said that the army is also reaching out to the people through social media campaigns.
“…started super 30 for NEET and other competitive examinations aspirants to engage the local youth,” he said.
“We are trying to approach civil society, preachers, parents, and siblings of militants to make them understand,” the Army chief said.
