In a first, former militants will teach counter terrorism to help figure psyche of terrorists
In a first, former militants will teach counter terrorism to help figure psyche of terrorists
Three former militants trained in Pakistan, accused of massacring several people in Jammu and Kashmir and
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Punjab, will now be visiting faculty at the Research Centre of Counter Terrorism and Peace Management in Pune, run by the NGO, Sarhad.
Said Sanjay Nahar, founder president of Sarhad, "These men will be talking about how they were misled by Pakistan into becoming terrorists; how young, unemployed youths of Jammu and Kashmir and other places are lured by Pakistanis, brainwashed and then trained to kill innocent people in India."
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Sarhad, which means border, has been working for over 19 years in areas affected by violence in India. The module will help students understand the psyche of terrorists.
Added Nahar, "After their surrender, there are no cases against them. The government is killing terrorists like mosquitoes, but not the breeding grounds. This is a first step towards reconciliation."u00a0
Apart from the three, a woman, the mother of a Punjab militant, killed by the police during the Punjab militancy, will also be part of the guest lectures.
The two-year course costs Rs 25,000 per semester and the course has been charted out by Dr M U Rehman, former vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and former secretary, parliamentary affairs, who has observed terrorism and militancy from close quarters. Rehman handled the Hazratbal crisis when he was the home secretary.
"This module was devised after watching the evolution of insurgency from close quarters. This includes militancy in the North East, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and militants like the LTTE," said Rehman.u00a0u00a0
Rehman added, "Terrorism is something, which cannot be stamped out by force, but its intensity can be reduced. What is needed is an antidote to this poison of terrorism and terrorist mindset. This can be devised only by understanding their psyche."
He said that terrorists were like fish that do not remain in one place and go to different places for sustenance.
The collateral damage that they do to society is inconsequential to them so long as it serves their purpose.
Who are they?
According to Nahar, the faculty members include a former militant who was accused of killing several people and was wanted dead or alive by the Punjab police. Besides, he had a prize of Rs 15 lakh on his head. He had surrendered when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab.u00a0
Another ex-militant who has given his consent to teach in the institute was accused of kidnapping a foreign tourist in Jammu and Kashmir.
And the third ex-militant was also a dreaded militant in the Kashmir valley.
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