M A I N   N E W S

Hizb to target military installations

ISLAMABAD, Aug 10 (PTI) — Pakistan-based militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) has threatened to intensify its operations by targeting military installations all over India, which it accused of being “not sincere” about settling the Kashmir issue.

HM ‘Supreme Commander’ Syed Salahuddin, who last Tuesday called off the ceasefire declared by the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir, said in an interview to a local news agency “Online” that “our struggle will not be restricted to the (Kashmir) valley. We will target all military and defence installations throughout India.”

However, civilians would not be targeted, Mr Salahuddin said in the interview published today.

Stating that the outfit was always ready for settlement of the Kashmir dispute, he said: “We will stop our liberation struggle immediately if India either accepts the demand for tripartite talks involving Pakistan or agrees to settle the dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions”, considered by New Delhi as outdated.

He braved Kargil but death trailed him

NEW DELHI, Aug 10 (PTI) —Pradeep Bhatia, lensman of The Hindustan Times, had braved shells of the Pakistan army to send pictures for his newspaper from the warfront last year in Kargil, but became a victim of the decade-long militancy in the Kashmir valley today.

Thirtyone-year-old Bhatia, who had clicked the important Hurriyat Conference meeting yesterday (probably his last), was filming the grenade blast at Residency Road this afternoon when he fell victim to the designs of militants, who triggered a car bomb blast that also killed eight police personnel.

Born on September, 1969, Bhatia was married to Suparna and had a baby boy eight months back.

Several human interest pictures by Bhatia, a degree-holder, in fine arts, clicked during “Operation Vijay” in Kargil form part of the Defence Ministry archives. Bhatia had joined The Hindustan Times in 1996 after a two-year stint in Business Standard.

Disasters, tragedies and nature’s fury never desisted Bhatia from performing his duty. Major assignments covered by him included the Chamoli earthquake, the Bharatpur fire and the recent Patna aircrash.