shariq's blog: Blogger: User Profile: shariq012

Ex-militant sings peace raga for misguided youth
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Surankote, March 15
He always wanted to be a singer but unfortunately landed up in the wrong hands. Made to shed his peaceful way of life, 24-year-old Javed Iqbal turned a militant in Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit.

But one thing he knew that he has not taken birth to spread terror. Javed was forced by a Surankote-based area commander of LeT, Abu Walid, in September 2001 to join the outfit and underwent arms training in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for five months.

However, immediately after crossing over to this side in February 2002, he surrendered before the police. He even handed over the Pika gun, which was to be used for killing people.

Now Javed Iqbal, a special police officer with the local police here, not only helps his country by wielding gun against the militants but also invites the misguided youths to give up the path of violence through his singing.

“I have seen it all. When I was forced to join militancy, I never thought that I would use arms against my own people. Five months of training never changed my feelings towards my people and even as I was there in PoK receiving training I used to sing local songs of peace in my area,” says Javed, a resident of Dodi here.

“When I returned, fed up with them, I decided to give up the gun and instead defend my country. I thought I could really make a difference for peace in my area through singing. I, through my songs, am not only making efforts to bring the misguided youth back to mainstream but also trying to prevent others from falling prey to their (militants) nefarious designs,” he adds.

This former militant-turned-SPO and singer who sings in Gojri and Pahari languages has four music albums to his kitty.

In one of the albums, Udh Ja Kabutra-highlights the pain and agony of separation from his native land and also brings to fore the exploitation that a misguided youth has to suffer at the hands of “terror spreading masters” on the other side of LoC.

Preebet Singh Parihar, sub-divisional police officer, Surankote, said Javed was doing good service for the department and even greater for the nation by inviting the misguided youth to give up gun and join the mainstream.