Security forces shot dead two terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, including ‘divisional commander’, during a brief encounter in north Kashmir’s Sopore area on Monday while three paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured in a grenade explosion in south Kashmir’s Qazigund pocket, official sources said.
A police spokesman said that following a specific information, Sopore police along-with 22 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF troopers launched a cordon and search operation in Check-e-Brath area of Sopore on Monday morning. During searches, the hiding terrorists fired upon joint search party, ensuing an encounter that resulted into killing of two HM cadre, Pervaiz Ahmad Wani and Naeem Ahmad Najar, both local residents.
Two AK rifles, three AK magazines, 90 AK rounds, One INSAS rifle, one INSAS Magazine, 13 INSAS rounds and other ammunition was recovered from the encounter site.
Police said the slain were involved in many anti-national and anti-social activities. “Pervaiz Ahmad was involved in the serial blasts on mobile towers in 2015. He was also involved in killing of two police personnel in Handwara market in 2013 besides an attack on Police Post langate in 2016.
The encounter triggered protests in Sopore area forcing the authorities to partially snap internet services.
Earlier, on Saturday, security forces shot dead one of the most wanted terrorists, Altaf Padder, in south Kashmir’s Kulgam area. Police claimed that Padder was involved in the killing of Army lieutenant Umar Fayaz, who was killed off-duty while doing preparations for his cousin’s marriage in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
Meanwhile, unknown attackers hurled a grenade towards a CRPF party deployed at the highway town of Qazigund on Monday afternoon. Three CRPF personnel were injured with splinters. They were immediately evacuated to hospital for treatment. The security forces cordoned off the area to track down the attackers but no arrests were made.
In another development, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) summoned prominent separatist leader and president of Kashmir High Court Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoom ‘to answer certain queries’ at its Delhi headquarters on Tuesday. The NIA is probing alleged terror-funding in Jammu & Kashmir for separatists from across the border.
During its previous raids, the NIA has arrested seven prominent separatist leaders and a top businessman of Srinagar while Enforcement Directorate has arrested Democratic Freedom party chief Shabir Shah. All the leaders have been lodged in Delhi jails. The NIA also summoned veteran separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani’s two sons—Naeem and Naseem—for questioning last month. They were subsequently set free with a rider to present themselves when again required by the investigating body in future.
Sources said lawyers boycotted courts in Srinagar when news about Qayoom’s surfaced in the social media. Qayoom, a prominent lawyer, has headed the separatist lawyer’s body for several years. He was the founder Chairman of Tehreek e-Hurriyat Kashmir, the first separatist political forum that existed in in early 1990s. The Tehreek-e-Hurriyat was disbanded to form All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in 1993 and the Bar Association became one of the 23 constituents of the conglomerate.