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Top counter-insurgent killed in Kashmir blast

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

A top pro-India militant, members of his family, and his security guard were among 12 persons killed in a massive explosion near Tral in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said Ghulam Nabi Jan was returning to Srinagar from his village Machwana when the vehicle in which he was travelling hit an improvised explosive device at Bajwani on the Tral road. All the occupants were killed on the spot, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition.

Jan had contested the 1996 assembly elections unsuccessfully. He had been provided security by the state government and was living in a hotel in a high-security area in the state capital.

Of the 12 persons killed, six were identified. They are Ghulam Nabi Jan, his wife Fatima Bano, his daughters Ruqaiya and Shakeela, personal security officer Mohammad Yaqub, and driver Riyaz Ahmad.

A senior police officer said in Srinagar that the others killed were close relatives of the counter-insurgent, but had not yet been identified.

Top police officers and security forces rushed to the spot. The area has been cordoned off and a search mounted.

There were conflicting reports about the explosion. Some sources in Srinagar said the explosive device was planted inside the vehicle while others said it hit a landmine.

No militant organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The pro-Pakistani militants have of late intensified their attacks on counter-insurgents in the Valley. Dozens have been killed so far, with Jan being their biggest hit.

Police say all those militants who have surrendered or had participated in the assembly elections have been provided accommodation and security. But the counter-insurgents complain the security is insufficient and that they are being ignored by the government.

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