M A I N   N E W S

Newspaper offices searched, NC MLA paraded

Srinagar, June 22
Offices of three Urdu dailies and a weekly were raided today in Srinagar and their staff, thereof including a ruling National Conference MLA, Abdul Gani Naseem, paraded before the informers.

After the searches the building, housing the offices of daily Morning Times, daily Wattan, Daily Vaath and weekly Ahtesabthe were sealed.

Naseem is printer, publisher and editor of Daily Morning Times.

During the raid carried out by the Border Security Force (BSF), the staff were directed to sit on the road for identification by ‘cats’ (security force informers).

A daily Wattan employee, who was picked up during the identification, was later let off after an hour.

The newspaper is owned by former militant leader-turned NC legislator Javid Ahmad Shah. However, Mr Shah was not in office at the time of searches, a newspaper employee said.

Security forces also raided another office in the same building and took some people in custody.

Meanwhile a top commander of the Tehreek-ul-Mujahidin (TuM) and four militants were among six killed in Jammu and Kashmir today while forces captured one militant and another surrendered.

Unidentified gunmen looted Rs 70,000 and also kidnapped one person in the valley during the period, an official spokesman said.

He said a joint party of Army and the Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir police today killed a self styled district commander of the TuM, Bashir Ahmad Mir alias Mubashir, at Kakroosa in the frontier district of Kupwara.

One AK rifle, three magazines and 60 rounds were recovered from the slain militant, wanted in several cases.

Two foreign militants Usama Jangi and Abdul Rehman were killed by security forces at Devar Lolab this morning. Two AK rifles, four magazines, one wireless set and six grenades were recovered from the slain militants, the spokesman said.

Security forces also arrested one Hizbul Mujahideen militant Mushtgaq Ahmad alias Shabnam along with two kg of RDX and three grenades at Kokernag, while one militant Rashid Ganai alias Billa surrendered along with one AK rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds and two grenades at Kupwara. Another militant was nabbed at Bagh-e-Bachru in the central Kashmir.

He said militants kidnapped and later killed one Mian Khan at Bandipora today while one Mohammad Ashaf Sheikh was kidnapped from his house at Pinglish in Pulwama last night.

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Chambalvas area in Banihal today, One pistol, One magazine, six rounds, six grenades, two kg of explosive and two detonators were recovered from the slain militants.

Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen entered the house of one Abdul Wahab Dar, a food and supplies employee at Lojripora in south Kashmir, early morning today and looted Rs 70,000. UNI