The helicopter, also carrying National Conference MP Sharifuddin Shariq, was descending and only about eight feet above the ground when the militants fired five to seven rockets and grenades towards the helicopter, the police said.

However, the two leaders and Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Home Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, who was there to receive him for a public meeting, escaped as the rockets and grenades missed the target and hit the surrounding trees at the helipad, it said, adding that the pilot immediately diverted the chopper.

Mr Omar Abdullah, who after a brief halt at Kupwara flew to Srinagar, said: “Some militant groups are hell-bent on derailing the peace process of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the attack seems to be a part of this strategy.”

There was no report of any casualty, the police said.

Earlier, the militants made an abortive bid on his life in downtown Srinagar when he had inaugurated a computer centre in a local college.

As the militants launched the attack, about 2,500 persons who had gathered to listen to Mr Omar Abdullah ran helter-skelter for their lives, eyewitnesses said.

Police and security forces, who had taken positions well in advance, fired in retaliation, the police said, adding, that the entire area had been cordoned off by the security forces and a hunt had been launched to nab the militants.

No militant outfit had claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Meanwhile, six militants and two Army personnel were among 10 persons killed in separate incidents since last night in Jammu and Kashmir where security forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, an official spokesman said.

Two militants identified as Abu Hyder and Abu Abbass, both Pakistani nationals, were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Hafrooda forests in Kupwara district of north Kashmir today, the spokesman said. He said two Army jawans were also killed during the operation which was launched in the forest area last evening and was still continuing.

A fierce encounter between the militants and the security forces was continuing at Dudipora village of Handwara in Kupwara since early today.

Sources said the encounter broke out when the security forces raided the village during the wee hours to flush out the hiding militants. There was no report of any casualty on either side, yet.

During an encounter in the Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu, a joint party of the police and Army troops shot two Lashkar militants identified as Hyder Shahid and Zulfikar Khan, both residents of Pakistan.

In another incident, two youths were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion at Girjan village of the same district during the period.