12 killed in car bomb blast
Captain killed in Siachen
Tribune News Service and agencies

SRINAGAR, Oct 6 — At least 12 persons, including the family members of a surrendered militant turned-politician, have been killed in a car bomb explosion in the Tral area of Pulwama district, about 50 km south of here, today.

The police here said that Ghulam Nabi Jan was a protected activist of the Ikhwan group, the main group of surrendered militants, who joined the mainstream as counter insurgents. Unconfirmed reports said that Jan had joined the ruling National Conference. He had actively campaigned for the National Conference in the last parliamentary elections in the valley.

Those killed besides Jan included four children, four women and a relative, his personal security officer and the driver.

The police said the explosion was due to explosion in the car, while earlier reports said that it was due to the explosion of an imported explosive device on the Tral-Kahlil road.

Sources quoting eye-witness reports said parts of the car, including its tyres and engine could be seen in the air after the blast, from a distance of about three hundred metres.

He said the blast was so powerful that the sound could be heard at a distance of about 2 km.

An Army officer was killed in the Siachen glacier area last night even as Indian troops foiled an infiltration attempt, killing eight insurgents, in Poonch Sector today.

Reports said the troops opened fire when they spotted a group of militants having sneaked into the Indian territory from Gambhir, Kerni and Faqir Dhara areas from across the line of control. Five militants were killed in Gambhir area, two in Kerni nullah and one near Faqir Dhara. Seven assault rifles and a rocket-launcher were found at the site.

According to the reports, Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian villages and pickets to provide fire cover to a group of militants who managed to cross back to Pakistan. In the border stretch at Faqir Dhara, the Indian soldiers could not recover the body of a slain militant as Pakistani troops pounded the area with heavy fire.

More than 100 militants had been moved close to the border across Poonch for being pushed into the Indian side.

In another incident, troops killed a militant near Rajouri during search operations. The soldiers on specific information, cordoned off Mughla area. The militant hiding there opened fire. The troops retaliated killing the militant on the spot. Large quantities of weapons and explosives were seized.

In renewed Pakistani shelling in the Siachen glacier, Capt S.K. Sharma was killed and two wounded last evening.

Besides the Siachen mountain glacier in eastern Ladakh, Kargil Sector too has been witnessing heavy shelling since yesterday in which two civilians were injured and several huts damaged.

According to the reports, Pakistani troops fired 200 mortar shells and 1800 rounds from small arms in the glacier area. A mortar shell is said to have hit Capt Sharma who succumbed to his wounds instantly. Two others were wounded. Capt Sharma had been posted at Siachen only a month ago.

Pakistani soldiers fired over 160 mortar shells and 750 rounds from small arms on Kargil town, especially the Kaksar belt connecting Srinagar with Kargil. Two civilians were injured. For yet another day today traffic was affected on the Drass-Kargil road.

Militants entered the house of Javed Iqbal at Marmoth in Doda district and shot him dead. They kidnapped his brother, Ghulam Rasool, a special police officer posted at Ramban. The militants struck panic in Poonch when the town was rocked by two powerful IED blasts in which a couple of government buildings were partially damaged. At least eight 303 rifles were destroyed in a fire that razed to the ground a police station at Sanglandan village in Udhampur district last night. Reports said militants may have torched the police station manned by men of the Special Task Force engaged in anti-insurgency operations.

A police spokesman said militants sprayed bullets on the vehicle of BJP’s Pattan Tehsil President Mehboob Khan, who unsuccessfully contested last Assembly Elections, near Braripora-Idgah in downtown Srinagar last evening.

Khan, a resident of Chanabal-Pattan in Baramula district, escaped unhurt in the attack, while his driver, constable Hari Chand of the J and K Police, died on the spot and personal security officer Shoukat Ahmad was injured, he said.

The situation in Darhal area of Rajouri was back to normal after investigations revealed that security forces had not raped the daughter of the Imam of a local mosque on Sunday during search operations. A medical examination of the give showed that she had not been raped.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said demonstrations and a hartal by the local people were engineered by Pro-Pakistan elements to discourage the troops from carrying out search operations.

A policeman was killed in Srinagar last evening when militants opened fire on a vehicle carrying activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party at Safakadal. Constable Hari Chand died on the spot.

A militant, Gul Peer, identified as "battalion commander" of the Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Kralpora in Kupwara district.