Maulana Shaukat murder accused Abdullah Gazali, Bil Papa disowned by TM

After Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen too regards Srinagar Police investigation

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 29: In a significant development, militant outfit Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TM) has disowned two of its key functionaries, Abdullah Gazali and Bil Papa, who have been charged by Srinagar District Police with killing of cleric-politician Maulana Shaukat Shah. President of Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith (JAH) Jammu and Kashmir, Maulana Shaukat had died in an IED blast at a mosque in Maisuma locality here on April 8^th this year.

JAH President and head of the separatists’ SIT, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Malik, today released TM’s letter which indirectly corroborated involvement of its key functionaries, Abdul Gani Dar alias Abdullah Gazali of Russu, Budgam, and Javed Munshi alias Bil Papa of Chhanapora, Srinagar, in Maulana Shaukat’s assassination in April. On August 26^th, Malik had released a letter from another formidable militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which also confirmed Srinagar District Police investigation, described Javed Munshi as the key assassin but claimed that LeT’s Kashmir-based Pakistani commander Abdullah Yuni was not involved in the heinous crime.

According to the TM letter, addressed to the separatists’ SIT, Abdul Gani Dar as well as Javed Munshi had served as key functionaries of the organisation in the past but neither of them had remained associated with the guerrilla group since long. It claimed that a four-member investigating team of the organisation, comprising Abdul Shakoor Azad, Owais Sajjad, Mohammad Shahid Salfi and Abu Hamza, had conducted a thorough investigation into Maulana Shaukat’s assassination, though the investigators were not in a position to interact with the men arrested by Police and detained in jail.

TM has sought to make it clear that Dar had been arrested in 2001 after working with the outfit for several years. After his release from jail, he joined a political outfit, titled “Sautul Haq” and became its head. In Sautul Haq, Dar developed differences with a colleague, namely Bashir Ahmad Sofi, and was subsequently dismissed as head of the new organisation. Text of the letter claimed that TM’s Pakistan-based  supremo, Sheikh Jamil-ur-Rehman called Dar only once over telephone when latter’s brother passed away six months before Shaukat’s murder. It claimed that TM supremo Sheikh Jamil-ur-Rehman called Dar twice or thrice (from across LoC) after Maulana’s killing and enquired about the murder and resultant mourning in Kashmir.

While claiming that the organisation had never thought in terms of carrying out the assassination, it suggested SIT to scan call detail records of Dar’s telephone. “If there is even a single word against Maulana Shaukat from Sheikh Jamil-ur-Rehman, we will accept the crime and its punishment”, said the TM letter.

The letter also confirmed that Javed Munshi had for years worked for TM but claimed that, like Dar, he too had ceased his association with the outfit after his arrest in Katmandu, Nepal, in 1998. It claimed that Javed had visited Nepal in 1998 without the permission of his leadership to meet his relatives and friends. He, however, got arrested and was released after 8 years. Thereafter, he made three attempts to cross over to other side of the LoC from Kashmir but was each time arrested and released by forces and Police.

The letter asserted that neither the outfit chief Sheikh Jamil-ur-Rehman nor the organisation had any contact with Javed Munshi since 2009 when he issued threats over telephone to a TM functionary Owais Sajjad. It asserted that TM would own the crime and accept its punishment in case it was proved in any investigation or call detail record of telephones that the orgainsation or its leadership had any contact or association with Javed Munshi in the last over two years.

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500 non-migrant families receive migrant relief in Jammu

Budgam tops with 168 Muslim and 50 non-Muslim families getting Rs 5000 a month plus ration

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 28: Over 500 families, continuously living at their respective homes in Kashmir valley, are believed to be among thousands of migrant families who receive relief of Rs 5,000 and rations every month from Relief Organisation in Jammu. These include all the 168 Muslim families of Budgam district, besides nearly 50 non-Muslim families, who figure in the long list of “migrant families” while their continuously living in Valley.

Informed sources revealed to Early Times that not less than 500 families, living continuously and comfortably at their respective homes in Kashmir valley, are among recipients of migrant relief in Jammu for over a decade. In league with officials of Police and Revenue departments, besides those working in the office of Relief Commissioner, these families are said to have got themselves registered as migrants in Jammu from 1990 to 2004. CID and Security Wing headquarters those days used to issue certificates of threat perception and resultant displacement on fake and engineered threatening statements against cash payment.

Party workers of a Revenue Minister from Budgam district had reportedly collected money from hundreds of residents in Beerwah-Khansahab belt with the assurance that they would be provided government jobs at monthly wages of Rs 3,000. These unscrupulous elements managed to raise monthly relief of migrants from Rs 1800 to Rs 3000. Within days, over 150 non-migrant Muslim families were declared as migrant by Ministry of Revenue and thus made entitled to payment of Rs 3000 a month.

Amount of monthly relief has, over the years, reached Rs 1250 per member but subject to a maximum of Rs 5000. Migrant families are also paid 9 kilos of rice and 2 kilos of atta each soul besides 1 kilo of sugar per family. Even as registrations have taken place from time to time in the last 21 years, all these families are shown to have taken the relief from 1990. Enquiries revealed that only one Muslim family of Budgam district had actually migrated to Jammu. Benefit was also showered on the brother of then News Editor of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar in lieu of “excessive news coverage” to then Revenue Minister. The beneficiary had not migrated to Jammu even for a single day.

The beneficiaries are understood to have created a mechanism to conveniently receive the monthly relief in Jammu. Officials reportedly retain the ration items, dispose off the aggregate quantities among retail and CAPD dealers and also take a cut from the cash relief. Agents operate on behalf of different clusters and conduct the transactions, apparently without the knowledge of Relief Commissioner.

In reply to a Jammu-based RTI activist Raman Sharma’s RTI application, dated 8-2-2011, Assistant Commissioner Relief Organisation Jammu revealed vide letter No: RCM/AC/CAMPS/2482 Dated 26-2-2011, that a total of 2671 Hindu families, 168 Muslim families and 336 Sikh families from Budgam district stood registered as migrants. All of them, according to PIO, had been receiving the relief from 1990. The PIO, however, declined to provide any information with regard to details of the beneficiary families. He also contended that no information could be provided as to how many of these families had been living in migrant camps and how many of them had been provided government accommodation.

The PIO maintained that the information sought was being suppressed under section 8 sub section (f) and (i) of J&K RTI Act of 2009. This section bars sharing of any information that could endanger life or physical safety of an individual, invade lawful privacy of an individual or identify source of an information given in confidence for law enforcement or security purpose.

RTI activist Dr Muzaffar Bhat disagrees with the PIO’s argument. “It has been observed that a number of officials suppress information under smokescreen of section 8 though the information sought does not even remotely endanger an individual’s life or physical safety”, Dr Bhat argued. He claimed that revealing details about migrant families of Budgam district, as sought by the RTI applicant, would in no way invade privacy of any individual. He asserted that an appeal would be filed soon against suppression of the information by PIO of Relief Organisation.

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Maulana Shaukat killing probe creates ripples in Kashmir

Separatist outfit calls members of 10-member panel as “India’s and America’s agents”

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 27: Dismissing members of the 10-member separatist panel, who claim to have completed investigation into the assassination of Maulana Shaukat Shah, as “agents” of India and United States of America, one of the constituents of Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference has claimed that Javed Munshi alias Bil Papa was not involved in the Kashmiri cleric-politician’s murder. Raising fingers, directly and indirectly, on the JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik and Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, “Tehreek-e-Shariat-e-Islami” has also alleged that some separatist leaders were working on behalf of New Delhi and their objective was to hold the militants responsible for each and every killing in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chairman of Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith (JAH) Maulana Shaukat was killed in a bomb blast on April 8^th this year when he was, as per a routine, entering a mosque in the uptown Maisuma locality to perform Friday afternoon prayers. Parallel to Police investigation, a conclave of almost all the separatist groups constituted a 10-member panel on April 18th to investigate the target killing. JAH’s new supremo Maulana Ghulam Rasool Malik, headed the investigation team. Heads of both factions of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani, were declared as its members.

JAH General Secretary Abdul Rehman Bhat, JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sheikh Mohammad Hassan, Anjuman Sharyee head Aga Syed Hassan, Anjuman Ittihadul Muslimeen chief Maulana Abbas Ansari, Islamic Study Circle representative Dr Yousaf-al-Umar and Maulvi Shaukat Ahmed Keng, were declared as members of the panel.

In the last over three months of investigation, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Srinagar District Police arrested five to six persons and claimed that they had planned, ordered and carried out the operation of eliminating Maulana Shaukat. They included Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TM) key functionaries Abdul Gani Dar alias Abdullah Gazali of Russu, Budgam, and Javed Munshi alias Bil Papa of Chhanapora, Srinagar. Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen’s detained supremo Ashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Dr Qasim was also initially indicted but his name was dropped in the end. Challan was accordingly produced in a court in Srinagar.

On August 25^th, head of the separatist panel and President of JAH, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Malik, released a letter, he claimed to have received from Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. The communication, significantly, corroborated the J&K Police investigation in part, confirming that Javed Munshi alias Bil Papa had revealed to Lashkar’s detenues in Srinagar Central Jail that he and others of his associates in TM had killed Shaukat in the bomb blast. More significantly, the Lashkar letter claimed that Javed Munshi had also been planning to eliminated Shaukat’s close friend and JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik.

Lashkar, however, labeled Javed Munshi and his associates as “double cross”, claiming that they had been roped in by agencies of the government of India. It claimed that Javed had bungled a quantity of explosives and weapons and also helped Army in conducting certain operations in which some militants got killed. Lashkar, however, gave a clean chit to its Kashmir-based Pakistani commander Abdullah Yuni who was a prime accused in the Police challan.

With the Lashkar letter, released by Maulana Malik, creating ripples in Kashmir valley, Tehreek-e-Shariat-e-Islami today shot a statement, dismissing the 10-member team investigation as an operation controlled by Indian and American agencies. It said that most of these members had become “slaves of the Indian, American and Israeli agencies” even before the separatist movement began in Kashmir in 1988-89. It alleged that these leaders had been “thrust upon the Kashmiris under compulsion”.

While ignoring reference and negative insinuation to Geelani, Tehreek statement made it clear that the organisation was treating just a few of the individuals as the real leaders of the separatist movement. It named them as Ashraf Sehrai, Massarat Alam Bhat, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, Asiya Andrabi, Bilal Sidiquee, Mohammad Ahsan Ontoo, Feroz Ahmad Sheikh and Hafizullah Mir.

The organisation alleged, directly and indirectly, that men like Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar were operating on behalf of the Indian and American agencies and their objective in the current investigation was to establish that all killings, abductions and rapes were the handiwork of separatist militants in Kashmir in the last two decades. This would give a clean chit to the Indian forces, the statement contended. It further claimed that members of the investigation team had got full facilitation from Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi and they had conveyed their report to Delhi and Washington much before it was released to press on August 25^th.

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BSF cop, civilian killed in Baramulla blast

12 civilians wounded in another grenade attack at Batmaloo

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 25: Striking after a long pause of calm, simultaneously in Baramulla and Srinagar with grenade attacks, suspected militants today left two persons dead and 15 more wounded.

Authoritative sources in north Kashmir told Early Times that unidentified persons, widely believed to be militants, lobbed a hand grenade on the men of a BSF party who were busy in shopping at a market near SRTC Bridge in Baramulla town at 1230 hours today. The grenade went off with a deafening explosion, causing injuries to two BSF personnel and three civilians. While the injured were evacuated to hospital amid panic and stampede, a critically wounded salesman breathed his last at District Hospital of Baramulla. He was identified as 24-year-old Abdul Gani Gojri S/o Sonaullah Gojri R/o Lar Ganapora, Kralgund (Handwara).

Later, a BSF havildar, namely U Haldar of 9^th Bn, also succumbed to injuries on way to 92 Base Hospital of Army in Srinagar. Sources said that the injured civilians, as well as Constable Narendar Singh of BSF, were under treatment at Baramulla and Srinagar hospitals respectively.

Reports from Baramulla said that a group of youngsters began shouting pro-Azadi, anti-Police and anti-forces slogans while carrying the dead body of the slain salesman through streets at the district headquarters. Police and security forces avoided to clash with the demonstrators. Body of the young salesman, who was married and reportedly father of a 5-year-old girl, was later carried to Langet. Reports said that large number of villagers participated in the funeral.

SP Baramulla, Dr Haseeb Mughal, told Early Times that one BSF personnel died and four of his colleagues had a narrow escape. According to reports available with Police, the BSF party from Singhpora-based 9^th Bn, had visited a shopkeeper in the narrow Badmaz Gully for the last three days. They had ordered the grocery owner to grind a quantity of spices which they wanted to carry to their post on the LoC. As two BSF men were collecting the spices from the grocery, an unidentified militant lobbed a hand grenade from a distance of less than six yards. It hit the target, killing a havildar and the salesman and causing injuries to two more civilians and a Constable.

SP Baramulla said that some 150 people took out a procession to create false impression that the civilian had died because of a blast from a BSF soldier’s grenade. Demonstrators called for arrest and punishment to the soldiers. However, they dispersed calmly when it became clear that a BSF havildar had also died and the grenade had been lobbed by a militant.

SP said that on their return from the funeral in Handwara, some residents of Baramulla came down from their vehicles at Watirgam and forced a shutdown. However, residents and shopkeepers struck with a counter-attack and left five persons injured. One Mudassar Ahmed, who was hit in his head with a lathi, sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to SKIMS for treatment.

Here in the capital city, suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a Police vehicle that was parked outside Police Station near General Bus Stand of Batmaloo, in the afternoon. It fell short of the target and exploded at a crowded marketplace. As many as 12 persons, all civilians, sustained multiple splinter injuries. Officials said that all the injured were stable.

IGP Kashmir, S M Sahai, said that this kind of attacks were expected from militants who were on the run but were making desperate attacks to unite and spread some fear among the people and forces. He said that the militants responsible for the twin attack would be tracked and brought to justice.

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Now, a VLW journalist in Kupwara!

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 24: Yet another Part Time Correspondent (PTC) of All India Radio (AIR) has turned out to be the regular employee of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. In a sad commentary on the lack of accountability and rape of service conduct rules in Ali Mohammad Sagar’s Rural Development Department, District Development Commissioner of Kupwara has confirmed that AIR’s Kupwara-based PTC, Mohammad Rafeeq Poswal, was actually a Village Level Worker (VLW) in Wavora, Lolab.

Authoritative sources revealed that as a sequel to the Early Times campaign against double-salaried mediapersons, who have been simultaneously working as permanent employees of the state government as well as journalists in brazen violation of service conduct rules, head of Regional News Units of Radio Kashmir Srinagar and Doordarshan Kendra, Bashir Malik, has sought official reaction from several DCs and Heads of Departments to the cases documented by this newspaper. Malik has also sought details regarding other PTCs from various districts in Kashmir Valley.

In reply to RNU (Radio Kashmir) letter dated July 26^th, DC Kupwara Mohammad Shafi Rather has officially confirmed to Radio Kashmir that its Kupwara-based PTC, Mohammad Rafeeq Poswal S/o Jamal-ud-din Poswal, R/o Batpora Haihama, Kupwara, was on payrolls of RDD Kashmir. DC has specified that Poswal was a permanent employee, posted as VLW in Wavora, Lolab. Contents of DC Kupwara’s letter No: DCK/PS/2011/2512-14 Dated 06-08-2011 have been forwarded by Radio Kashmir to Director General of News AIR for necessary action in the matter of cheating by the PTC.

Sources said that in yet another letter to Commissioner-Secretary Tourism and Culture, Atul Duloo, DC Kupwara has confirmed every detail of the Early Times story about one Zahoor Sultan War and expressed surprise how Secretary of Cultural Academy had allowed a permanent government employee and Cultural Assistant to simultaneously operate as a journalist and “Correspondent” of Radio Kashmir’s daily current affairs programme “Sheherbeen”. However, Mr Duloo has not reportedly initiated any action on the letter also addressed to Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary and other government functionaries.

Sources said that Mr Malik has also written a separate letter to DC Baramulla, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, asking his reaction to the Early Times expose on Radio Kashmir’s Baramulla-based PTC Kausar Salam. As already reported, Salam has been regularly taking salary as a Middle School teacher in Chandoosa zone of Baramulla district for long and simultaneously interviewing officers and Ministers as a journalist and Correspondent of AIR and Doordarshan.

Surprisingly, DC Baramulla has not sent any reply till date to Malik’s letter and two follow up reminders, suggesting former’s patronage to the “teacher journalist”. According to regular listeners, Kausar Salam has been enthusiastically projecting certain Baramulla officials including DC in AIR’s and DD’s news bulletins. Even after the Early Times expose, Kausar Salam had sought admission in a training institute operated by Chandigarh-based ‘Day and Night’ satellite television news channel. However, within days the management has terminated his admission when a copy of Early Times was made available to the channel last fortnight.

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Corruption in J&K

Some are guilty till proved innocent, some are innocent till proved guilty!

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 23: On occasion of the oath-taking of J&K State Accountability Commission (SAC) Chairman, Justice retd Y P Nargotra, and Member, Justice Retd Hakeem Imtiyaz Hussain, the other day at Raj Bhawan, Governor N N Vohra broke a tradition. He chose to deliver a speech---to make it clear that he was concerned, like millions of the state subjects, over the non-seriousness successive governments have maintained to eradicate corruption. Governor laid stress on the immediate need of appointment of the constitutional functionaries and staff in SAC, State Vigilance Commission (SVC) and State Information Commission (SIC).

Unlike in the UPA Government’s Bill on Lok Pal, head of the government (Chief Minister) in Jammu & Kashmir is very much liable to trial in a matter of alleged corruption under the law made nine years ago. In 2002, it didn’t take long to realize that Law Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig’s tantrums over accountability of public men (politicians) were not to be for practice. Then in opposition, National Conference (NC) came forward with its unconditional support to the ‘revolutionary’ legislation. What was translucently communicated to Mufti Sayeed’s government, had not been imagined by the debutants of governance: “If you use it against us today, we will use it against you tomorrow’.

The SAC Bill was passed in days. Commission was not constituted for years, until men like Ali Mohammad Sagar began publicly taunting the PDP regime with “hollow browbeating”. And when Justice retd R P Sethi was finally appointed as the first Chairperson of SAC, he was not allowed to function even for a year. There was amendment after amendment but never the implementation for more than eight years.

NC-led coalition demonstrated the best of its reciprocity. None of the former Ministers, who were exuberantly threatened by Omar Abdullah’s firebrands, was taken to the dock in the last 31 months. NC and PDP asserted for respective favourites in the selection committee meeting last month. Most of the analysts believe this was needless. They feel neither Justice Kakroo nor Justice Khan or Nazki would have run amuck over the politicians in absence of an highly unexpected signal from the top of the government and the opposition.

If participants of the meeting are to be believed, political members from the government defended appointment of only one member with the argument that, after bifurcation of matters between SVC and SAC, the commission would have to deal “just a few cases”. “Unnecessary burden on state exchequer” was offered as another argument. Governor’s unscheduled speech at the swearing-in must have served as a snub for these selectors.

Even before SVC was constituted in March this year, one of the Cabinet Ministers almost warned State Vigilance Commissioner, P L Gupta, against proceeding with the prosecution of the characters of infamous Gulmarg Roshi Scam. Result of the Minister’s letter, coupled by intervention of more than six other Ministers and two former Chief Ministers, is that the case was challaned without an arrest. Not one of the accused was touched even as J&K High Court dismissed their anticipatory bail applications. All the accused continue to retain prize postings. One of them was temporarily removed in a differ matter for few months but his dignity was restored with his appointment in another sensitive department. Minister incharge happens to be his close relative. And the appointment came brazenly in the midst of the Budget session.

So, when MD of J&K Housing Board, Dileep Thusoo, became the first high profile target of State Vigilance Organisation in the Chief Minister’s “Year Against Corruption”, there were no ripples. According to the SVO press release, raids were conducted on several of MD’s houses in J&K, Delhi and other states but the investigation remained restricted to “irregularities” committed in allotment and execution of a bridge in Doda. SVO did not explain why a matter of “disproportionate assets” was not registered against the owner of multiple properties.

Ask anybody in the government why there was not even an attachment, let alone arrest and suspension in these cases, pat will come the reply: “Everybody is innocent till proved guilty”. Ask them why matters against senior officials of SKUAST (J) were dropped even after VC had previously communicated sanction to their prosecution to the Law Department. “Government has its prerogatives”, one would tell you with a smile. And, why an established matter was dropped against a Minister of Gul Shah’s regime who is still a Minister? “Many of the witnesses have either retired or passed away” is the answer recorded in the SVO Ikhtitami.

Scores of the privileged lot have got grade promotions and other elevations even without so-called ‘vigilance clearance’. They figure prominently in the group of nearly a score of the officials, recommended for and inducted into IAS, earlier this month.

A simple application under RTI would make it clear that scores of officials, not enjoying any political or bureaucratic clout, were arrested and jailed for months until they managed to get bail even in matters created on flimsy grounds. Seizure memos made by SVO sleuths mention “khattamband ceiling in one room”, “Maruti-800 car” and even “one two-band transistor”. Scores of this persecuted lot have been subjected to untold miseries, placed under suspension, attached to administrative department, removed to “non sensitive” postings. People from SVO to Law Department to GAD burn midnight oil to fleece these endangered species of the government. “You show me the face, I’ll show you the rule” is a cliché phrase in Civil Secretariat.

“Web don’t need an Anna Hazare. We need a General Musharraf to strike on corruption in Jammu and Kashmir” seems to be the aspiration of an ordinary Kashmiri today.

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Mother of 5 children killed, 10 militants trapped in Handwara gunbattle

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 22: A middle aged woman, who was mother of five children, got killed and her husband sustained injuries when militants and security forces locked horns in a major gunfight in Handwara forest area of north Kashmir. According to officials, a thick group of at least ten heavily armed militants has been trapped by armed forces though independent sources insist that the operation had failed and the holed up militants had managed to escape.

Close on the heels of a fierce encounter, that left 12 militants and a JCO dead, on the LoC in Gurez sector, another group of 10 militants has been trapped by Army in the thick forest cover of Handwara. Authoritative sources told Early Times that troops of Rashtriya Rifles 21 Bn and 06 Bn, alongwith SOG Handwara, laid siege to a vast forest area between Hafruda and Zachaldara, about 25 Km from Handwara on Sunday. According to a specific information available with Police and security forces, ten heavily armed militants were present in a Bahak in Padlu, not far away from Satkuji and other hamlets on the LoC in Nowgam sector.

Late last evening, forced zeroed in the group of militants and a fierce gunbattle commenced. None of the militants had been reportedly killed or arrested in the 24-hour-long operation. Sources said that the gunfight, troops targeted a Dhok with the suspicion that some of the militants were hiding in it. Civilian Abdul Rasheed Paswal and his middle aged wife, Saleema, were hit. Even as both of them were evacuated and rushed to hospital, Saleema died on way to SKIMS. Her husband was reportedly out of danger but still under treatment at Sub District Hospital of Handwara.

An official press release issued from headquarters of Kashmir Zone of the executive Police said : “As per the available reports, a heavily armed group of militants had visited a Bhak in Padlu area in the Upper reaches of Handwara during the intervening night of 20/21-08-2011, where 4-5 families are putting up in a dhok and had demanded food.  Militants had asked villagers to guide them towards Brinjal and Ghalali areas, which the former resisted and denied. Aghast by the reaction of villagers, militants asked to provide them food for the next following  night also”.

It added: “After having food in the intervening night i.e 21/22-08-2011, militants left the dhok. The group of militants was intercepted by Army. Militants ran away back towards the dhok, and started indiscriminate firing, which created chaos triggering an encounter. In the exchange of firing,two civilians, Saleema wife of Abdul Rashid Paswal aged 45 years and Abdul Rashid  Paswal son of Jamal din – Aged 35 years received bullet injuries. The former was referred to SKIMS-Soura Srinagar, where she succumbed while the latter is admitted in SDH Handwara and is out of danger. Dead body of  deceased civilian lady was this morning  handed over to her next of kins for last rites. Other civilians have been rescued from the area. The encounter was still going on when the last reports came in”.

Though authoritative sources maintained that the gunfight was still underway and all the ten militants of the group had got trapped, independent reports from Handwara insisted that all the militants had made good their escape under the advantage of thick forest cover and a dark night. Reports said that Army had also requisitioned helicopters but it was not clear where these were providing any combat support to the troops or had been deployed to evacuate the injured civilians and soldiers to hospital.

Detection of second major group of possibly fresh infiltrators within 24 hours of the Gurez encounter is being viewed here as part of a fresh strategy from militants and their sponsors across the LoC. Top ranking Police and Army officials, including J&K DGP Kuldeep Khoda, and GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Syed Atta Hasnain have said twice in last two days that infiltration attempts were likely to increase in the coming days.

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