I wanted to become a militant after humiliated by army officer: NC MLA

SRINAGAR — National Conference MLA Qaysar Jamshaid Lone recently shared a personal story in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. As a teenager, Lone said, he was humiliated and tortured by an army officer during a crackdown in his Lolab area. This traumatic experience led him to consider becoming a militant. However, his faith in the system was restored when a senior officer intervened, publicly reprimanding the junior officer responsible for the abuse.

Lone recounted the incident, which occurred when he was in 10th grade. He was among 32 youths singled out for questioning during a crackdown on a local youth who had joined militant groups. Lone’s honest responses to the officer’s questions resulted in beatings, further highlighting the brutal nature of the encounter.

Lone said that a senior officer saved him and reprimanded the junior officer. He said his intervention changed his perspective.

Lone said, unfortunately, the experience had a profound impact on others; 27 of the 32 youths questioned eventually joined militant groups.

Notably, Qaysar Jamshaid Lone won the Lolab Assembly segment by a margin of 7871 votes, defeating his nearest rival Independent candidate Dawood Bashir Bhat. PDP’s Waqar-ul-Haq Khan finished third.