READ: A brave and important post by a classmate of slain terrorist Eisa Fazili

Just a few days before terrorist Eisa Fazili was neutralised by security forces during an encounter in Anantnag, Eisa's father, Naeem Fazili, had penned a Facebook post about how his son was being exploited by vested interests. "I swear you are not on the right track", Eisa's father wrote, adding tragically, "please don't play with fire." 

Now, Eisa's classmate and friend has spoken out in a brave post, echoing Naeem Fazili and casting light over the dark path of terror Eisa took:  

Eisa Fazili was my classmate and friend. I feel absolutely terrible he had to go this way - but - I will not shy away from stating that he was a deeply disturbed person - and that the path he chose was incorrect.

Just because people are celebrating his "martyrdom" or hailing his actions, does not in the least bit validate them - or brush aside the fact that he left his mother, a grief stricken woman who had begged him to return on numerous occasions, for a meaningless and senseless politco-religious battle people wrongly term "jihad". His family may state otherwise now, in the wake of his death, but their impassioned cries for his safe return a year ago were strewn across all media channels that could possibly reach him - all of which he flat out refused.

Eisa's comments on my facebook posts over the years are still visible I think, and a keen observer will be able to gauge out a transition towards hard-core radicalism in his beliefs. Back in school, him and his like-minded friends would often have arguments with other class mates and teachers about religion, and I remember the fiery expression on Eisa's face when someone criticized the then newly mushroomed cult we all know today as ISIS. During the same period, our Missionary school authorities had refused to leave a time gap or allow students to go for Zuhr prayers, which futher fueled their anger and protest until a stalemate was eventually reached. This should give everyone a faint idea of how Eisa percieved this "zulm" on Muslims, superimposed on the backdrop of HRVs in Kashmir and a belief strengthened by his interpretation of countless other events across the world.

I curse the Wahabi preachers who mislead him, the Tehreeki leaders who inspired and encouraged him, the careless relatives and friends who never stopped him from taking the leap into the dark abyss. They are all alive and well today - ranting and raving - but Eisa is not. They will all have breakfast with their families tomorrow, continue with their daily chores and very soon return back to their normal lives of happiness and laughter - but he will not.

I have written this for the sake of those young ones still in school, who are witnessing their seniors act irresponsibly and irrationally because someone close to them is no more, someone they knew and can suddenly relate to the misery of so many others in Kashmir.

I do not care wether anyone agrees or disagrees with me in this matter. We, the younger generation of Kashmir, must not let history repeat itself by letting our emotions and feelings cloud our sense of judgement and rationality as our elders have repeatedly done in the past. Although our class-mate did not commit an attack on civilians in his individual capacity, the organization he chose to become associated with has been involed in several gruesome attacks in which innocent people have lost their lives. There is no justification for religious extremism.

The fact is, had Eisa been born in some far away land, in another happy and peaceful region of the world, he would have certainly pursued a different road and lived to tell a different tale. His sad demise, more importantly, draws attention to the bitter truth that the shrill cries of people today will once again fall to deaf ears in the larger politico-religious game of death and destruction that the Kashmir Issue truly is.

P.S. :- For all the parents reading this - please keep a look out for who or what your child is influenced by on the internet, or for any markers which may indicate that he/she is going down a path where people like Anwar al Awlaki, Tauseef ur Rehman, Syed Salahuddin - among others - are waiting to sharpen their fangs over their young and impressionable minds.