"We are thankful to the Indian army that they are providing such a great opportunity to serve our nation," said Nazir Ahmad, one of the candidates.

The young men waited their turn in the queue beneath the gaze of verdant hills still covered in snow.

Six days after the terrorist attack in Pulwama, over 3,000 youth have showed up for an Army recruitment drive in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla's district.

There are only 111 vacancies.

Two candidates who spoke to India Today TV said they already worked in the private sector, and one of them said it was his childhood dream to become a soldier.

The recruitment rally began yesterday and will continue till February 22; it has witnessed a huge rush of unemployed youth from far-flung areas of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts.

Youth attending the rally were hopeful of getting not just a chance to be employed, but also an opportunity to serve the nation.

Some, who are from border areas of Uri and other regions, said there's a lot of unemployment among the youth, and they'd been given a chance to be employed in the territorial army. They added that the government should increase the number of posts.

They thanked the army for organising the recruitment drive and wished that more rallies would be conducted in different areas of the Kashmir Valley.

"We are thankful to the Indian army that they are providing such a great opportunity to serve our nation," said Nazir Ahmad, one of the candidates.

INDIA ENRAGED AFTER PULWAMA ATTACK

Last week, on February 14, as many as 40 CRPF soldiers were martyred in a suicide bombing carried out by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, provoking an outpouring of rage and grief across India.

Security forces killed three terrorists in an encounter on Monday, including the man who masterminded the Pulwama attack. Four Army soldiers and a policemen were martyred.

India has vowed to exact revenge for the Pulwama bombing, while Pakistan has denied responsibility and threatened retaliation if attacked.

Meanwhile the Indian Army has asked parents of Kashmiri terrorists to ask their children to surrender, warning that anyone who picks up a gun in the Valley will be killed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a joint statement on Wednesday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that both countries agreed on the need to increase "all possible pressure" on countries offering support for terrorism.

Mohammed bin Salman, who announced investment agreements worth $20 billion during a recent trip to Pakistan, said extremism and terrorism were common concerns for India and Saudi Arabia.

Inputs from Rouf A Roshangar