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Separatist leader, niece killed in Kashmir

Mukhtar Ahmed in Srinagar

Unidentified militants gunned down Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Dr Ghulam Qadir Wani and his niece at their Bandipore residence Wednesday evening.

Dr Wani, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front's former publicity chief, was also the founder chairman of the Islamic Students League.

Police said the gunmen forced their way into his house Wednesday evening and opened fire at close range. Dr Wani's niece died on the spot, while the leader succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Two others were injured in the incident. No outfit has owned responsibility for it.

The news of Dr Wani's killing spread like wildfire and members of various separatist groups rushed to the Bandipore police station, where the body was kept before being returned to his residence.

Dr Wani was closely associated with the Jamait-e-Islami and the Muslim United Front, of which, along with All Party Hurriyat Conference's current chairman Sayed Ali Shah Geelani, he was a founding member.

Senior police and security force officers are on the spot supervising a massive hunt for culprits.

Led by Gheelani, APHC leaders have rushed to Bandipore for the funeral.

After crossing over to Pakistan, Dr Wani returned to the valley in 1994. He then dissociated himself from militancy and moved to his village. However, he continued to have close links with separatist leaders, including Azam Inquillabi.

The APHC and various organisations, meanwhile, have strongly condemned Dr Wani's killing.

Dr Wani completed his Phd from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was a leading intellectual of the valley, and widely considered to be a moderate separatist leader.

He edited the Jamati-e-Islami newspaper Azan for several years before the eruption of militancy.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz has said that since India's primary objective in resuming dialogue with his country seemed to be to deflect international pressure, it would not settle the Kashmir issue.

Addressing a seminar on Pak-German dialogue, Sartaj termed as ''a step in the right direction'' the resumption of talks.

''Our approach to the recently held secretary-level talks was constructive, purposeful and result-oriented. We put forward a framework of proposals on both issues to facilitate a structured and sustained dialogue,'' he said.

Pakistan expected Indians to be more committed to the process. He said Indo-Pak relations were of critical importance to Pakistan's foreign policy.

Aziz said New Delhi's ambition to become a regional superpower impelled it to continue with its heavy expenditure on defence. ''This will have serious implications for our security,'' he said.

The nuclear tests in May not only confronted Pakistan with a grave threat but also destabilised South Asia. "It converted Kashmir into a nuclear flashpoint,'' he said.

Talking about the earlier talks, he said, "Indians were not ready for a meaningful dialogue. They restricted themselves to the reiteration of their known position, especially on Kashmir. They did not respond positively to our proposal for confidence-building measures, nor to the idea for a framework for continuing the talks."

Meanwhile, at least five soldiers were seriously wounded when militants set off a landmine at village Singhpora on the Srinagar-Uri national highway Thursday morning. Police said an army vehicle was extensively damaged.

Pakistani troops again fired at Kargil town, resulting in injuries to a civilian and damages to some houses.

Additional reportage: UNI

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