Hundreds of young Kashmiris throng police recruitment rally

[rockstarIN]

Srinagar, Jan 12 (IANS) Hundreds of youngsters Wednesday thronged the first police recruitment rally held in Jammu and Kashmir's Old City Srinagar after the recent summer unrest here Wednesday.

Hundreds of youth lined up in the Khanyar locality of Old City in summer capital Srinagar to join the local police.


Wednesday's was the first on-the-spot police recruitment rally held in the politically sensitive Khanyar locality of Srinagar which had witnessed pitched clashes between the security forces and the protesters, mostly the youth, during the over four-month-long summer unrest in the valley.


Over 100 people had lost their lives in clashes between unruly mobs and the security forces during the unrest.


'The response to the recruitment rally proves that the youth here want to earn an honourable living for themselves,' Kashmir Inspector General of Police S.M. Sahai said.


'Even those youth against whom minor charges of stone pelting cases might be pending are welcome to join the police force,' said Sahai, who supervised the recruitment rally to ensure that it was transparent and credible.


The zonal police chief also said that it has been the intention of the police to recruit youth into the force from areas where their representation have been inadequate.


'It is chiefly because of unemployment that some youngsters indulged in stone pelting this summer,' said Irshad Ahmad, an aspiring police officer.


'Given a respectable job and an honourable opportunity to support our families, the youth would not waste themselves in anti-social activities,' Ahmad told reporters at the Khanyar recruitment rally.


Wednesday's rally was part of the continuing effort by the state police to provide opportunities to youngsters to join the police force through hassle-free and transparent recruitment processes.

Hundreds of young Kashmiris throng police recruitment rally

 

[rockstarIN]

Winds of change in Kashmir as ‘stone-pelting’ youth eye police job

Srinagar, 12 January 2011: Just a few months back youths in Kashmir used to turn out in huge numbers to fight pitched battles with the security forces in the state amidst a renewed period of violence. On Wednesday too hundreds of youths assembled outside a security force camp in Srinagar; but this time the motive was different – to secure a job as constable with the state police.


The state has a high unemployment rate and the scene would not have attracted much attention in normal circumstances. But the fact that many of these youths were believed to be involved in clashes with police last summer makes today’s development notable.

This time the police held an on-the-spot recruitment drive, which was mainly confined to residents of Khanyar area in the old city, here.

Khanyar area includes some highly volatile localities where stone-pelters had engaged police and CRPF in running battles during the five-month-long unrest in the Valley last summer.

The youths now want their share in employment in the police department.


"I am here because I have nothing to do. I completed my graduation in 2004 and since then I am unemployed," said 27-year-old Sajad Ahmad Shah.

He admitted that creation of employment opportunities could help in containing stone-pelting but said unemployment was not the reason behind such an exercise.

"More employment avenues can stop stone-pelting but why stones are pelted is a different issue," Shah said.

Faisal Ahmad, who did not meet the minimum height standard to appear in the recruitment drive, said he had come because he wanted a secure job.

"There is an advantage with it (police), you get a proper pay," he said, adding "I work as a daily-wager in a furniture workshop and the amount I earn is not enough to sustain my family."

All the youths, who appeared in the recruitment drive, denied to have participated in the stone-pelting but a CRPF jawan on duty at the camp claimed he had identified at least 100 youths who had indulged in stone-pelting in different parts of the city.

"I saw around 100 boys who were stone-pelters and I have seen them (hurling stones) at Nowhatta, Khanyar and near Islamia College," said constable Raj Kumar, posted in Kashmir for the past six years.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, SM Sahai, said "if there is a criminal case against anyone, he will not be recruited in the force".

"The exact number of youths who will be recruited will be decided by the response and quality of the people we get.”

"There is nothing unusual in the recruitment drive as we carry it out in areas which have no representation in the police department," the IGP said.

 

[aristocrat]

That's good but we definitely need private sector investment.GOI should make policies for this,they could start from jammu and then move into kashmir.

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

Great news for India.

Employment is sooo important, it can turn any society around in an instance.

 

[rockstarIN]

As PC Chitambaram said, one police person from each family from vally, the problem solved....for ever..

New Recruits to BSF from vally..

 

[Soumitra]

This proves that the real problem in J&K is not ideology but lack of economic development. Empty mind is devil's workshop. You give an unemployed youth Rs. 500 and he will start throwing stones. You then very conveniently label this as an expression for "Azadi".
The same stone thrower when given an opportunity for a steady job and income jumps at a chance to join the so called "oppressive" Indian police forces.
The solution to the Kashmir unrest is providing more and more job and educational opportunities to the youth who will then shun the path of violence and become the part of the main stream

 

[dabong1]

This proves that the real problem in J&K is not ideology but lack of economic development. Empty mind is devil's workshop. You give an unemployed youth Rs. 500 and he will start throwing stones. You then very conveniently label this as an expression for "Azadi".

And the govt of india pays them and you "very conveniently label this as an expression as "main stream".
I dont accept the "Rs. 500 and he will start throwing stones" story and even if its true ,are the indian occupation forces not being paid the fight the kashmiris?

The same stone thrower when given an opportunity for a steady job and income jumps at a chance to join the so called "oppressive" Indian police forces.

A few hundred joining out of millions is insignificant.
If where going off such a silly examples of acceptance by a population of occupation then am sure the few thousand palestinians working in the israeli military-govt is a sure sign that they dont mind being occupied or in that case when the british ruled india there where plenty of indians working for the british.

The solution to the Kashmir unrest is providing more and more job and educational opportunities to the youth who will then shun the path of violence and become the part of the main stream

The indian govt has tried many times to "buy" the kashmirs off with "projects" and "govt" jobs ect and it has never worked......this the same stuff the indians pull out every couple of years and then a few months down the line the kashmiris have demonstrations-riots calling for india to "quit kashmir".

 

[Gabbar]

J&K youths brave threats, weather for Army jobs​

JAMMU: Ignoring militants' warning against joining the Army and bucking conventional wisdom that Kashmiris hate the men in olive, more than 9,000 jobless youths thronged a recruitment rally at Manasbal Sainik School in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

Giving out the number of aspirants, official sources said the enthusiastic youths assembled at the school since morning, some reaching the venue as early as 5 am, braving rain and sleet, with the hope of donning the uniform. A defence spokesman said a bigger response was expected on Sunday, the last day of the recruitment rally.

The drive is being held to induct soldiers from Srinagar and Anantnag districts. Similar rallies will be held for other districts of the Valley in the coming days, said an Army officer. This comes a month after a police recruitment drive in Srinagar city, where nearly 3,000 youths tried their luck.
This is not the first time that Kashmiri youths have responded to the Army's recruitment drive. More than 3,000 men filed in for a four-day recruitment rally near Rangreth in Srinagar on May 25, 2007. A recruitment drive in 2009 too witnessed a huge response, with over 8,000 men turning up, again at Rangreth.

At the Manasbal Sainik School, men in the 19-25 year age group jostled with one other to show their capabilities. Gulzar Ahmad Dar (22), an aspirant from Manigam, said, ``Since there are no jobs with the state government, I tried my luck with the Army but unfortunately my height failed me.''

Armed with his certificates, Altaf Ahmad Hakim of Bambloora village said, ``I have given up hope that our chief minister Omar Abdullah, whom we voted for, will provide jobs to Ganderbal youths. Even though I was not selected in this rally, I am hopeful that next time I will get the chance to join the Army.''

Ishfaq, a graduate from Anantnag, said: "Joining the Army has been a passion for me. There is a lot of unemployment here and the Army can give me the chance to earn a decent living.'' A youth from Thuru village in Ganderbal was optimistic about his chances. "I perhaps met the criteria and am hopeful of being selected,'' he said refusing to reveal his name.

Several militant outfits, including Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, have in the past asked youths from Kashmir to stay away from such rallies and also threatened to kill family members of those who join the Army or other paramilitary forces.

The enthusiasm of the locals to look for a career in the Army is a far cry from when Kashmiris shied away from joining the security forces.


Read more: J&K youths brave threats, weather for Army jobs - The Times of India J&K youths brave threats, weather for Army jobs - The Times of India

Read more: J&K youths brave threats, weather for Army jobs - The Times of India J&K youths brave threats, weather for Army jobs - The Times of India

 

[ajtr]

http://www.defence.pk/forums/kashmir-war/94191-kashmiri-first-indian-soldier-next.html#post1501693

A reluctant solider.