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| Former militant becomes BJP's trump card in ULB elections in Valley | | |  Early Times Report
srinagar, Oct 3: In the restive Jammu and Kashmir, BJP is all set to field a former Pakistan-trained militant who has spent seven years in jail after he crossed over to the neighbouring country for arms training.
Mohammad Farooq Khan, a reformed militant, is one of the hundreds who'll be contesting the upcoming urban body elections, but his profile is one of the few that stands out.
He was still in college when the decisive 1987 elections changed Kashmir after it was rigged at a large scale and triggered insurgency.
"I was one of the polling agents of Syed Salahuddin," Khan tells media. "In 1989, I crossed the LoC and got training in Mianwali and other places for over two months," says Khan.
He became a militant and was associated with Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which was a militant organization at the time. Khan became active in Srinagar.
On September 7, 1991, forces cordoned off Munawarabad area of the city and Khan was trapped and arrested.
Khan says he was appalled by the "pathetic" condition of the former militants who were trying to get back into the mainstream.
This gave birth to his NGO, 'J&K Human Welfare Association'.
He met top BJP leaders. In 2013, he claims he gifted Rajnath Singh a Quran and told him to read the message of peace in it.
When the urban and local body elections were announced this year, amid tensions in the Valley, Khan got a call from Delhi.
"I had not joined BJP but a friend of mine in Delhi suggested that I contest the elections on a BJP ticket."
According to Khan, there is nothing wrong in fighting elections. He credits late cleric Molvi Farooq for introducing BJP in Kashmir.
"I am working for the welfare and development of the people and participating in the elections is my right."
Khan feels, the root of the problem in Kashmir is the "rigging" of the 1987 elections.
"Had there been no rigging, there would have been no Syed Salahuddin and no militancy in Kashmir."
But Khan is now optimistic about his win and believes that his win can usher the Valley into a new and peaceful Kashmir |
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