Srinagar, January 29
A National Conference candidate for the civic poll was killed and two other nominees were injured last night in separate attacks by suspected militants opposed to the poll process.
A candidate of the National Conference, Ghulam Rasool Dhobi, was shot dead by unidentified militants at his house in Kadlabal, Pampore, about 15 km from here, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway around 9.30 pm last night. The civic poll in the highway township of Pampore in Pulwama district will be held on February 6.
At least 26 persons, including four police personnel, were injured when militants fired two rifle grenades near the Pampore tehsil office on Thursday. The incident took place when nomination papers were being filed for the civic poll.
In another incident, in the same area last night, unidentified gunmen shot at and seriously injured Ms Fehmeeda, a nominee of the ruling PDP, around 10 pm. She has been admitted to a hospital where her condition is stated to be out of danger.
Unidentified militant fired at Mr Abdul Rashid, an Independent candidate, at Sopore in Baramula district last night. He has been admitted to a hospital. The polling for the Municipal Council, Sopore, was held today.
Suspected militants also targeted the houses of two candidates in the Sopore and Baramula areas on Thursday night. However, no one was injured in these incidents.
Two separatist leaders, Sheikh Abdul Aziz of the Hurriyat Conference and Javed Ahmad Mir of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Forum, along with their supporters, were held by the police here while they were trying to take out anti-election rallies in the Lal Chowk area today.
Various separatist groups have been taking out anti-election rallies and public meetings across the valley in protest against the forthcoming civic elections taking place after a gap of 27 years. Senior separatist leaders, Mohammad Yasin Malik and Shabir Ahmad shah have been actively leading such meetings seeking boycott of the elections as these were "in no way any solution to the Kashmir problem".
As the PDP, the Congress and the National Conference have intensified their campaign for the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and other civic bodies in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Pulwama, the separatist political parties have also been engaged in the anti-election campaign.
While voting for the 10 civic bodies in Baramula and Kupwara districts takes place today, polling for the 68-member Srinagar Municipal Corporation is scheduled for February 1. Polling for the Anantnag Municipal Council and five other committees in the district, apart from seven civic bodies in the neighbouring Pulwama district of south Kashmir, will be held on February 6.
The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and the PDP president, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, have been campaigning here for the past few weeks. Mufti Sayeed held a series of public meetings here during his visit on Thursday and Friday.
JAMMU: Army troops arrested two suspected militants belonging to the Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) in Poonch district on Saturday, official sources said.
During a night patrol, troops saw two persons moving suspiciously in the Saki Pir maidan area of Mendhar border tehsil in Poonch and challenged them around 2 am, they said.
The duo managed to escape and reached their homes in Dharana village. The troops later nabbed them while searching houses in the presence of village elders and the police.
During the search, 10 claymore mines, four AK magazines, 24 rounds of ammunition, 10 grenades and some explosives were seized.
Those arrested were identified as Mohmmad Hallel and Mohmmad Sabu.
They admitted that they were working with the LeT in Doda district, sources said.
