A plot to assassinate Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in a suicide attack was foiled on Thursday with the police arresting three terrorists, including a Pakistani national.
Pakistan-based groups Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashker-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen had planned to target Azad during his visit to Bandipore, 50 kms from Srinagar, highly placed sources said.
The police had intercepted communications between these groups over the past three days which spoke about the plan to attack Azad when he visited Bandipore to lay the foundation stone of a degree college.
This was the second such plot foiled by security agencies in a month. Earlier, terrorists had planned to target Azad at Ramban in Jammu region but the three possible attackers were nabbed before they could act.
Unfazed by the terrorists' designs, Azad went ahead with his programme as per schedule.
Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for the biggest college complex to be built in the state in 18 years, Azad lashed out at those who misuse Islam to meet their political ends, an apparent reference to hard-line Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
He noted that Islam teaches brotherhood and peace and not the killing of innocent men, women and children.
Azad talked about his government's massive programmes for reconstruction and development, for which the Centre is giving a lot of funds. "To implement these, the state needs peace," he underlined.