Gulfam Asim Khan is among thousands of jobless and educated young Kashmiris who are defying warnings from armed separatists by pursuing careers in the Indian armed forces and security services.
Last week, the 22-year-old appeared for a written test that is a prerequisite for signing up with the army.
"I am passionate about joining the army. I am hopeful that I will clear the written test, and my dream of becoming a soldier will come true," Khan, a Kupwara resident, told BenarNews.
He was one of 12,000 potential recruits who underwent a series of rigorous physical tests in the volatile Kupwara district of Indian-administered Kashmir between May 19 and May 21, although the banned separatist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) had recently threatened to kill anyone who joined the Indian military or security agencies.
Six hundred of the applicants were shortlisted for the written exam.
But just a day before Khan sat for the Indian Army entrance test on Thursday, army porter Liyaqat Ali, 22, was gunned down by suspected HM militants in Kupwara.
Khan, a resident of the district, shrugged off the threats.
"I don't care about the threats. If these threats begin to scare us, we will not be able to do any jobs. Where would educated Kashmiri youths like me go? There is already a massive dearth of jobs in the private sector in the state," Khan said.
A new trend
A separatist insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, which is claimed in its entirety by India and Pakistan, has killed more than 70,000 people since the late 1980s.
Kashmiri applicants sit for the Indian Army's entrance exam in Kupwara, Kashmir, May 21, 2016 Image Source: BenarNews
The Indian Army said it had advertised 55 vacancies, for which it received more than 12,000 applications – a sharp contrast to the early 1990s, when Kashmiri youth stayed away from joining the armed forces.
"It is a good sign that more and more Kashmiris are gradually showing interest in joining the army so that they can contribute to nation-building in a better way," Col. C.B.S. Bhadwal, commanding officer of the Kupwara-based 160 Territorial Army, responsible for the recruitment drive, told BenarNews.
The results of the written exam will be publicized in June, Bhadwal said.
Ishfaq Ahmad, a 25-year-old graduate from the town of Karnah, which is close to the Line of Control (LoC) – the boundary that separates the parts of Kashmir that are claimed by India and Pakistan, respectively, said the army should have advertised more vacancies.
"Considering the joblessness in Kashmir, the army should have advertised at least 1,000 jobs so educated youths in the state have enough opportunities to make something of their lives," Ahmad told BenarNews.
According to official figures, about 600,000 Kashmiris between the ages of 20 and 30 are unemployed.
"The threats from separatists notwithstanding, we have to work to earn money. Besides, one who aspires to be a soldier must be prepared to face and overcome such challenges," said Shamim Ahmad Khan, 24, who applied for one of the 55 vacancies.
"The pay in the Indian Army is decent so I didn't want to lose out on this opportunity," Khan told Benar. (Source: Benarnews)
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