Jammu, June 14
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has got pushed into a tight spot because of a series of terrorist- related incidents that have not only challenged the credibility of the police, but also cast clouds on the current Amarnath pilgrimage and the booming tourist season in the Kashmir valley.

The security agencies have miserably failed to check the incidents of violence.

Monday’s grenade explosions, at the bus stand here that claimed one life and massacre of eight Bihari and Nepalese labourers in the Kashmir valley, have exposed the laxity on the part of the police and security forces.

A series of grenades were exploded at the bus stand early in the morning amidst claims of the state government that a three-tier security cover for pilgrims had been established in the state.

These incidents indicate a total failure of the intelligence set-up in this sensitive state as the terrorists are in a position to target any place of their choice.

Moreover, not a single policeman was on the security duty at the sensitive bus stand when the grenades were lobbed at the buses.

Mr Azad was still grappling with the situation which had arisen after the massacre of 34 Hindus in Doda and Udhampur districts that the fresh attacks on tourists and massacre of labourers happened.

Observers point out that the situation has once again started going out of hand in the state because of the weak policy of the government towards tackling terrorism.

Initially, Mr Azad preached the bullet-for-bullet policy, but has apparently softened gradually because of the public protests in the valley.

It is worth mentioning that in the wake of stepped-up violence, five major terrorist attacks took place last month in the state. Three such attacks were witnessed in April.

Tourists were targeted in most of these attacks, while 32 Hindus were massacred in Doda and Udhampur districts.

Interestingly, Mr Azad and his team has been accusing the BJP of instigating the militants by organising an agitation against the massacre of Hindus.

The Amarnath pilgrimage has got disrupted right from the opening day because of bad weather and heavy snowfall enroute the cave shrine.

A lot many tourist bookings in the valley have reportedly been cancelled following the terrorist attacks on tourists from Gujarat and Bengal. 

Srinagar, June 14
For the third consecutive day, top vocal and instrumental artistes were at their best to perform and cast a spell on the audience at the first-ever Indo-Pak sufi musical festival at the SKICC here last evening.

The festival, organised by the Amarnath Shrine Board, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Doordarshan in collaboration with the departments of Information and Tourism, began here on Sunday last. Programmes were held at Baramula this evening while the concluding programmes will be held at Pahalgam tomorrow.

The Governor, Lt-Gen (retd) S.K. Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Amarnath Shrine Board, inaugurated the festival here on Sunday in the presence of the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Ms Ambika Soni, the Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Mr Justice B.A. Khan.

The poetry of Sufi saint Sheikh Nooruddin Wali mesmerised the audience. Artistes made an effort to spread the message of universal brotherhood and oneness of God.

Prominent among performers last night were Yaqoob Sheikh, who presented Kashmiri Sufiana kalam and enthralled the audience, Umrao Mazhar Bandhu Khan, a Pakistani Sufi artiste, who presented Sufiana kalam with Pakistani lyrics, Barkat Sidhu and party, Abdul Rashid Hafiz, a Kashmiri artiste, and Ms Zila Khan. It was a pure and sacred from of art that took the audience to the mystic and divine heights of Sufiana music.

Bazam-e-Sufiana was a blend of meditation, prayer and message of peace. Sufiana music has roots in Kashmir and people believe that this movement started from Kashmir and spread all over the subcontinent. The seeds of Sufism in Kashmir were sown in 1320 AD by the great Hazarat Bulbulshah and was carried forward by other great saints of the time and the role played by Sufi saints like Hazarat Sheikh-ul-Alam and Lal Ded in further propagating it, is know throughout the world. 

Srinagar, June 14
Four militants, including two belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were among six persons killed in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, official spokesman said.

He said militants shot dead a retired treasury officer Ghulam Rasool Bahroo and Firdous Ahmad, a priest of a local mosque, near Nadihal school in Baramula district today.

Security forces gunned down two militants of JeM in an encounter at Batapora under the Handwara police station in the frontier district of Kupwara last night, the spokesman added.

Two assault rifles, four magazines, one pistol, one wireless set and some rounds of ammunition were recovered from the slain militants. One of them was identified as Syed Imran Ali Shah, alias Khalid, a resident of Pakistan.

He said two more militants were killed by the security forces at Mehada Gali Boniyar in the Barmula district.

Militants shot at and wounded a surrendered terrorist Rashid Khan near bus stand in Sopore today. He has been hopitalised.

Security forces arrested two suspected militants along with one pistol and eight rounds at Gool in Udhampur district last night. — UNI

Srinagar, June 14
An Amarnath pilgrim from Punjab died of a heart attack today, official sources said.

They 68-year-old Krishan Lal, a resident of Suratganj in Punjab, died of a cardiac arrest at Pahalgam early today.

Two women pilgrims had died earlier.

A woman devotee from Delhi slipped to death on the Baltal-Amarnath cave shrine route on June 12.

The 45-year-old pilgrim, Nisha Jindal, was wounded when she fell into a deep gorge near Rail-Pathri on the Baltal-cave route.

Jindal, a resident of Shahdara in Delhi, was shifted to a nearest medical aid centre where she died. — UNI

Srinagar, June 14
Normal life was restored in parts of Kupwara district today where curfew restrictions had been imposed following protests leading to the death of at least two persons and injuries to over 50 others sine Saturday last.

The curfew restrictions were lifted from Trehgam area today, according to the officials, after there was a considerable improvement in the situation. These restrictions had been lifted for some time last evening.

The protests started on Saturday following the reports of alleged desecration of a mosque and the holy Koran at the hands of security personnel who had reportedly entered into a mosque in Zurahama village on Friday night.