Srinagar, April 10
The police here claimed to have achieved a major success today with the arrest of a top militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit allegedly involved in the killing of 24 non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits at Nadimarg in south Kashmir on March 23 last.
According to the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Mr A.K. Suri, the accused was the District Commander of LeT and had been identified as Zia Mustafa, alias Arbaz, alias Abdullah Umar, alias Victor, a resident of Bermong village, near Rawlakote in PoK. Mr Suri said the militant and his group was involved in activities like suicide attacks, killing of security force and police personnel and informers in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Pulwama.
One AK rifle, one wireless set, three AK magazines, two hand grenades and some incriminating documents were recovered from his possession, the police said. Further investigations to trace out other members of the group were going on, the police said.
Mr Suri said perusal of the documents recovered from the LeT commander had confirmed the revelations and also the strategy of the outfit like looting of houses of the minority community.
He said Mustafa also revealed that LeT had been directed to raise funds locally besides what they were getting from Pakistan.
Mustafa, according to Mr Suri, had admitted to his involvement in Awantipora attack on the airbase and killing of several personnel and their informers in two years after sneaking in from the other side of the LoC.
Asked what details Mustafa had provided about the March 24 massacre, Mr Suri said it was a matter of investigation and he could not divulge any details as yet.
Asked how reliable the police claim was in view of the revelations about Pathribal incident, Mr Suri said every incident was not the same and they were different from each other.
Five persons were killed allegedly in a fake encounter by security forces at Pathribal and the police had claimed that the deceased were foreign mercenaries involved in the
Chatisinghpora massacre in which 35 Sikhs were killed in March 2000.Subsequently, investigations into the matter had revealed that the deceased were local civilians who went missing immediately after the massacre.
Elsewhere, an explosion at the entrance gate to the famous Nishat Garden caused heavy damage to it here this morning. The police here said the explosive device planted by suspected militants damaged the entrance. Mughal gardens, Nishat, Shalimar and other tourist spots will formally be thrown open to tourists and public on the occasion of Baisakhi.
JAMMU:
A militant belonging to Al-Badr outfit was killed in an encounter in Rajouri district of Jammu division on Thursday, official sources said here.
A joint team of Army and the police spotted the ultra at Lowerkote-Duma during its routine patrol early this morning and in the subsequent encounter shot him dead.
The slain militant has been identified as Abu Abbas of Al-Badr outfit, they said. An AK-47 rifle, two magazines and 50 rounds and a damaged radio set were recovered from the site.
