Junaid Qureshi blames Pakistan for fostering radicalisation among educated Kashmiri youth

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 25 (ANI): Kashmiri political activist and Director of the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), Junaid Qureshi, voiced deep concern over the growing radicalisation among educated youth in Jammu and Kashmir, holding Pakistan directly responsible for perpetuating the extremist ecosystem that continues to destabilise the region.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Qureshi described the radicalisation of well-educated professionals, including doctors, as "a deeply worrying trend", urging Kashmiri Muslims to introspect and take a firm stand against those justifying violence in the name of religion. He stated that society must "reject such individuals, even in death," highlighting that Islam forbids both suicide and the killing of innocents.

According to him, the resurgence of suicide bombings in the Valley reflects a worrying adaptation of global terror tactics, influenced by organisations like Hamas. He warned that some radicals are distorting religious teachings to justify their acts as martyrdom rather than suicide, creating a dangerous theological justification for terrorism.

Qureshi further accused Pakistan of rebranding cross-border terrorism as a local Kashmiri uprising to mislead the international community. "Islamabad is now trying to project militancy as a homegrown struggle, using educated Kashmiris to claim plausible deniability," he stated, citing the emergence of new groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Kashmir as evidence of Pakistan's evolving proxy warfare strategy.

He highlighted that the "radical madrasa network" in Pakistan remains the epicentre of extremism, exporting ideologies like the Deobandi and Wahhabi interpretations to Kashmir. While commending India's improved counter-terrorism measures, Qureshi cautioned that Pakistan's continuing sponsorship of terror, coupled with geopolitical competition involving China and the Taliban, keeps South Asia vulnerable.

He concluded by asserting that "no country is immune to terrorism" unless its people reject violent ideologies and regional powers stop weaponising religion. (ANI)

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