Days after he was spotted posing with an assault rifle in a photograph by his heartbroken family, young football player Majid Khan has surrendered in Kashmir. A tearful video appeal by Majid’s mother Ashiya Begum had gone viral on social media and thousands had urged the 20-year-old to quit militancy and return home.
“I am waiting for him. I want him to return… I want him to play football again,” his mother wept in the video.
A goalkeeper for his local team in Anantnag in South Kashmir, Majid Khan had joined the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba a week ago, apparently after his close friend was killed in an encounter. Sources say the group “sensed public mood and let go of Majid so he could serve his family”.
Last night, Majid reportedly walked into a security camp and turned himself in. While the police and the army are yet to comment, sources say Majid contacted his family before his surrender. A senior official told that Majid “is no more with militants” and will be back with his family this evening.
Ashiya Begum, 50, had said she couldn’t even eat since her only son vanished last Thursday. Each day, she would work herself up into a frenzy and beg for help from anyone who visited their home.
Earlier this week, a photograph surfaced on WhatsApp showing Majid with an assault rifle much like Burhan Wani, the “Facebook Terrorist” known for posting his photographs on social media as part of his mission to recruit impressionable young men in Kashmir. Wani’s killing by security forces last year triggered more than six months of violent protests in the Valley.
Police sources believe around 100 local men have joined the ranks of terrorists in the last year. Many have either surrendered or have been arrested.
Majid Khan has played football since he was in school. A shelf in his home displays multiple trophies; one award is from a tournament organised by the police.
On Tuesday, Majid’s father, 59 year-old Irshad Ahmad Khan, suffered a mild heart attack after hearing that he had been trapped in an encounter in Kulgam. One terrorist was killed. The arrest of three local terrorists during the mop up operations rekindled the family’s hope.
“I’m sure he will come back if he hears this message. He is not just my son, but a friend also.. I have brought him up like that. I don’t understand why he did his,” Mr Khan had said yesterday.
Messages flooded Twitter after news of his surrender emerged.
“A mothers love prevailed. Her impassioned appeal helped in getting Majid, an aspiring footballer back home. Every time a youngster resorts to violence, it is his family which suffers the most,” posted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that it was a “very good development. Hope he can go back to leading a normal life and not be harassed.”
