First-term National Conference MLA Qaiser Jamshaid Lone on Friday narrated his story of how his faith was restored in the system at a time when he wanted to become a militant.
Speaking during the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Lone said that when he was a young man, he wanted to become a militant after he was "tortured and humiliated" by an army officer during a military crackdown.
The NC MLA from Lolab added that a senior officer's rebuke of the army officer following that incident restored his faith in the system.
The incident showed how dialogue can resolve issues, he said.
"There was a crackdown in my area when I was a youngster. I must have been a student of the 10th standard. There were 32 youths, including me, who were singled out for questioning," Lone said during his speech in the House.
Going on to narrate the particular incident, Lone recalled that during the crackdown, he was asked by an army officer about a youth who had joined terrorists. He replied that he knew the youth as he lived in his area.
"I was beaten up for that. Then he asked me if the terrorist was present in the crackdown. I replied in the negative and I was beaten up again," the NC MLA maintained.
Lone then told the House that a senior officer reached the spot and asked him what he wanted to become in life. "I told him I want to be a militant. He asked me the reason and I told him about the torture I had gone through," the NC leader said.
Lone added that after speaking to him, the senior officer rebuked his subordinate officer publicly, which restored his "faith in the system".
Lolab MLA Lone said that he later came to know that out of the 32 young men who were questioned, 27 had joined militant ranks.
