Srinagar: A tearful video appeal by mother Ashiya Begum made Kashmir footballer to leave a militant outfit and surrender. The mother’s appeal 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 police officer Imtiyaz Hussain tweeted on Friday morning: “Alhamdullilah, he is back. Mother’s prayers have been answered. Hope and pray all the boys up in arms be back to their mothers. Let Peace prevail.”
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”.
On Thursday 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 confirmed to a media house that Majid “is no more with militants” and will be back with his family this evening.
Earlier this week, a photograph surfaced on WhatsApp showing Majid with an assault rifle much like Burhan Wani. Wani’s killing by security forces last year triggered more than six months of violent protests in the Valley.
