M A I N   N E W S

Ex-minister Lone’s brother shot dead
Ultras barge into house, fire point-blank

Srinagar, December 5
A brother of slain Jammu and Kashmir Law Minister in the National Conference government Mushtaq Ahmad Lone was shot dead today by militants in his house in Kupwara district, official sources said.

Unidentified militants barged into the house of Ghulam Mohiuddin Lone at 4.30 p.m. at Sogam in Lolab and fired from point-blank range killing him on the spot, the sources said. The militants then fled.

A contractor by profession, Mohiuddin was a top militant in Kupwara district in the early 90’s.

He surrendered to the authorities and held talks with the Centre in 1996 along with some top commanders of other outfits.

His brother Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, Law Minister in the Farooq Abdullah government, was killed by militants on September 11 this year during campaigning for the Assembly elections.

After the failure of the talks with the Centre, Mohiuddin along with his associates had floated a political organisation the Peace for Permanent Resolution of Kashmir’.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for Mohiuddin’s killing. A hunt has been launched by the police and security forces to nab the militants involved in the killing, the sources said.

In another success, security forces recovered 200 kg of explosives, rockets and grenades and 2000 rounds of ammunition in north Kashmir last night.

In militancy-related incidents across the state four persons including two militants were killed and 15 others were wounded overnight.

Meanwhile, a Border Security Force (BSF) commandant and doctors who were injured during a militant attack in Sopore were declared out of danger in the army hospital here.

Official sources said that during a routine search in the Raipure woods at Bandipora in north Kashmir, security forces unearthed 200 kg of explosives, seven rockets, one anti tank rocket, 28 grenades, 2000 rounds of ammunition and rations from a hideout last evening.

They said the material was enough to make more than 40 powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) which could have caused large-scale damage.

The security forces have seized more than 600 kg of explosives, including RDX from different parts of the valley since the coalition government assumed office in the state.

Yesterday the security forces averted a major tragedy when they detected and defused three powerful IEDs planted near the general bus stand at Batmaloo.

Official sources said unidentified militants hurled a hand grenade towards a security force vehicle at Pulwama main market in south Kashmir this afternoon.

However, the grenade missed the target and exploded on the roadside causing injuries to 10 persons, including a CRPF jawan.

The injured were admitted to different hospitals.

Militants also lobbed a hand grenade towards the house of former National Conference Minister Ms Itoo in Anantnag district late last night causing injuries to a guard.

This was the second attack on the house of Ms Itoo, former Tourism Minister who survived two attacks during the electioneering. Two of her security guards were killed in these attacks.

An official spokesman said body of a Hizbul Mujahidin militant Abdul Majid alias Haq Nawaz was recovered at Zainabad in Pulwama last evening.

He said militants entered the house of Ghulam Qadir at Chatroo Bhagwah and fired upon the inmates killing one Gul Mohammad and injuring Ghulam Qadir and wife Zarifa and Shamas Uddin late last night. The injured were hospitalised, he said.

He said a militant and a security jawan were killed in a fierce clash at Handwara in north Kashmir last evening.

Two militants surrendered along with arms and ammunition before security forces at Bhaderwah in Doda district last evening.

JAMMU: The Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended two Harkat-Ul-Jamait-Islami (HUJI) militants in Dimmy village, 5 km from Mahor area in Udhampur district last evening.

BSF sources said, acting on specific information that some ultras were hiding in the area, the BSF personnel launched an operation to flush them out. The security personnel were advancing towards the hideout of the ultras, when they were fired upon. After an eight-hour-long encounter, the troops succeeded in apprehending the militants.

The militants have been identified as Mohd Shabir alias Abu Nawaz and Gulzar Ahmed alias Yaseer.

Arms seized from their possession included two AK-rifles, five magazines, 140 rounds, three hand grenades and a wireless set.

Meanwhile, two militants identified as Showkat Hussain Tantrey of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and Manzoor Ahmed of HuJI surrendered to Rashtriya Rifles personnel in Bhaderwah town of Doda district. They handed over an AK rifle, two grenades and 50 detonators to the RR officials, the sources said.

In a separate incident the police recovered one kg brown sugar from a shop in Shindra village in Poonch district yesterday, they said.

Two persons, including a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant, were killed and three others injured in separate militancy-related incidents in Doda and Rajouri districts of Jammu division since yesterday, official sources said here today.

In another incident, security forces gunned down a militant of LeT Outfit, Jalaludin, in Darhal area of Rajouri district yesterday. Recoveries from the slain militant included one AK rifle with four magazines and 100 rounds.

Ultras also opened fire on a police station and a security camp in the area which was retaliated, the sources said adding that, there was no casuality or damage in the cross firing.

Meanwhile, security forces in a joint operation busted a militant hideout in Paharian Wali Kassi area of Mendhar sector of Poonch district and recovered 135 rounds of ammunition, two Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), 10 RPG rounds and one RPG booster and 13 handgrenades. PTI, UNI