SRINAGAR: Reports suggest that 17 Kashmiri youths, who had travelled to Pakistan to pursue higher studies, have returned as terrorists. They were killed while sneaking back into the country, said the authorities.

The youngsters had travelled to Pakistan on valid travel documents. The incident has raised concerns about a new modus operandi adopted by Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to recruit terrorists and to paint the militancy as an indigenous movement, said the authorities. The youngsters in the country have been warned to remain vigilant.

According to reports, this is the main reason behind the central government’s recent order advising students not to travel to Pakistan for pursuing higher education.

In recent years, hundreds of students from Jammu and Kashmir have travelled to Pakistan for higher studies. They are selected through a National Talent Search Search (NTS) test conducted at Hurriyat office in Pakistan.

Many of the students have been brainwashed, provided arms and are recruited in sleeper cells. They are also used for money laundering, said the security force.