Srinagar, June 20
A militant attack was foiled by the security forces while five militants, two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a woman were among the nine persons killed across Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours, an official spokesman said today.

The security forces also seized a large cache of arms and ammunition in the state overnight.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rajouri-Poonch) V.K. Singh said in Jammu that the security forces shot dead two fidayeen (members of a suicide squad) who tried to storm a DSP’s office in Mendhar town of Poonch district last night.

SPO Imtiyaz Ahmad and shopkeeper Raman Kumar were killed and two police personnel wounded in the gunbattle.

Mr Singh said two fidayeen, suspected to be from Pakistan, struck at Mendhar late last night and tried to storm the DSP’s office after throwing a grenade towards the main entry gate.

Police personnel on guard and from the nearby office of the Special Operation Group (SOG) opened fire at the ultras. In the ensuing two-hour-long gunfight, both militants were killed.

He said two AK rifles, eight magazines, 180 rounds, three hand grenades and one anti-personal mine were seized from them.

In another incident, girl was shot dead by militants at Gool in Udhampur district last night.

Police sources said two to three militants forced their entry into the house of one Fateh Mohammad and opened fire on the residents, resulting in an on the spot death of his daughter Safia Bano. Fateh Mohammad’s wife Gulla Begum also sustained injuries and was hospitalised.

Meanwhile, official sources said unidentified gunmen shot dead SPO Ghulam Hassain at Kulgam district of Anantnag late last night.

Security forces also killed a Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militant identified as Chand Baber, alias Bashir Ahmad, alias Abdullah Umar, a resident of Faislabad in Pakistan, during an encounter Sirajpora-Handwara village in the frontier district of Kupwara.

One AK rifle, four hand grenades, one wireless set and 10 rounds were seized from him, the spokesman said.

He said an other encounter took place between militants and the security forces at Gujjarpati during which two militants identified as Hamza Bhai and Abu Zarar, both Pakistani nationals, were killed.

Two AK rifles, 85 rounds, one RPG shell, one pistol magazine, six hand grenades and two wireless sets were also seized from them. — UNI

Jammu, June 20
Senior National Conference leader and MLA Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari defected to the PDP, the ruling party has started “angling” for defection of several NC legislators.

Informed sources said that Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig is in the forefront of moves to woo NC MLAs to the PDP fold. In this connection Mr Beig is said to have spent a couple of hours with a senior NC leader and former minister for chalking out the strategy for bringing at least nine NC legislators to the PDP fold.

Molvi Ansari had to resign from the assembly membership in order to avoid the axe under the anti-defection law. He will be contesting from the Pattan constituency from where he was elected to the assembly in 1996 and 2002. The PDP leaders want at least nine NC MLAs to cross the side so that they were not penalised under the anti-defection law because, at present, the NC has 26 members in the state assembly.

Sources said that hitherto the PDP solely depends on the Congress support for the survival of its government. The idea behind the move to woo more NC MLAs was to enable the PDP to be on a place of strength.

However, even if nine to 10 NC MLAs join the PDP, the party headed by Ms Mehbooba Mufti will not be able to form the government without the support of the Congress. The PDP needs 44 MLAs to form a government and with 10 NC MLAs in its fold, its strength goes up to 27 and with the support of four Panthers Party legislators it falls short of 13 MLAs.

On the other hand, the Congress, which has more than 20 MLAs, can form the government with the support of the National Conference, which has at present 26 MLAs and even if 10 quit the party to join the PDP, the support of those Independent who have become associate members of the Congress, can help the Congress-NC alliance to be in power.

Hence the wooing of NC legislators can be a tricky matter for the PDP whose number of leaders are not prepared to transfer the Chief Minister’s “gaddi to the Congress in November, 2005.

If by winning over some NC MLAs, the PDP wanted to further weaken the National Conference and cause added erosion in its mass base it can expect support from the Congress.

National Conference sources, at the same time, ruled out the possibility of causing a split in the 67-year-old organisation by the PDP machinations. The sources said that at the most, the PDP may succeed in winning two to three NC MLAs to its fold and in that case they shall have to resign their membership of the assembly for contesting the election afresh.

Srinagar, June 20
Wedding revelries nearly took a tragic turn when at least 30 persons, including two grooms, were wounded in a house collapse in Jammu and Kashmir’s border district of Baramulla, reports received here said today.

The house collapsed when the wedding celebrations of two brothers — Jammel Ahmed Gaigi and Abdul Hamid Gaigi — were on at Kalayban village last evening.

The crowded first floor of the house caved in under the weight of the people who were dancing and singing. The walls too collapsed.

Several persons, including the grooms, were buried under the debris, the reports said. They were later rescued by the locals. — UNI

Srinagar, June 20
Mild tremors were felt in parts of the Kashmir valley early today, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) here said.

It said the first few tremors were felt at 2.35 a.m.

At about 9 a.m., Srinagar city and its adjoining areas felt a few more mild tremors, it added.

However, the IMD office said the magnitude and the epicentre were yet to be ascertained.

There are no reports of any loss of life or property so far. — UNI