By letting the newly nominated chief of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) Ashraf Sehrai’s MBA son Junaid Khan join terrorist ranks in Kashmir, the Valley-based pro-Pakistan Hurriyat Conference leadership appears to have tried to foil the move of the misled local militants to shun violence and return to the mainstream.

Junaid picked up the gun a day after his father replaced Syed Alishah Geelani as chief of the TeH last week. This is being seen as a tacit move of Geelani and his followers to thwart return of the Kashmiri youth to the mainstream as many of them had positively responded to appeals of their parents to come back to their families.

However, the so-called moderates in the Hurriyat Conference have so far chosen to keep their lips sealed on the issue of Serhai’s son joining terrorist ranks of the Pakistan-sponsored Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

Junaid has appeared on the scene after the killing of local militant poster boy Burhan Wani and his successor Zakir Musa, and has threatened to behead the separatist leaders for creating hurdles in enforcing the Sharia in Kashmir.

Those who have seen the scheming of Geelani during the past 30 years of terrorism in Kashmir, wonder that when he stepped down from chairmanship of TeH on health grounds then why did he choose to retain his top slot in the pro-Pakistan Hurriyat Conference where the functioning was more strenuous.

He was in constant touch with Delhi-based Pakistan High Commission diplomats during the Pakistan Day last week.

Although such pro-Pakistan elements were inciting the Kashmiri youth against India, the Centre and the state governments have miserably failed to isolate and tackle their mischief. The Ladakh unit of BJP on Saturday described Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP as the “political front” of the Hurriyat Conference and separatists.

The PDP-BJP government in J&K appears to have given a long rope to the separatists who are pursuing their pro-Pakistan agenda by asking the youth to get involved in “jihad” against India.

Another pro-Pakistan separatist, Asia Andrabi, who was recently released from the jail, was engaged in spitting venom against India on the Pakistan Day as she waved the Pakistan flag in Srinagar and said that Kashmir will one day become a part of Pakistan.

Although Geelani is under house arrest in Srinagar, but he is allowed address rallies through phone in all corners of the Valley to incite the people against India and the security forces.

A top functionary of the state recently told this correspondent that the government has failed to tackle the serious nuisance being created by the pro-Pakistan separatists.

Elements like Geelani and Asia Andrabi were keeping the pot boiling and not letting things settle down in Kashmir as a result of which the common people and particularly students were hit hard as the education institutions remain shut during the violence. Three successive tourist seasons have failed in the Valley because of violence.