Desperately searching for an opportunity to vitiate ‘peaceful’ atmosphere in Kashmir Valley, Pakistani terrorists on late Friday nighttargeted close relatives of a famous apple merchant in Sopore area of Baramulladistrict, injuring a 30 month old girl along with her father and two others.
The attack was aimed at spreading panic among the apple merchants and trigger unrest in the area.
This is the second strike on apple traders in the region. Earlier, terrorists had warned apple growers from exporting their supplies outside the State. Official sources said, the government authorities had made elaborate security and transport arrangements to ferry apple produce to markets outside Kashmir valley.
Official sources said, “two Pakistani terrorists apparently searching for a famous apple merchant in the area barged inside the house of Hamidullah Rather in Dangerpora area of Sopore late Friday night and opened indiscriminate firing on close relatives present inside the house”.
The terrorists had dragged two of his workers to locate his residence in Dangerpora village.
Spokesman of J&K police said, “ in a ‘merciless’ act of terrorism, terrorists fired and injured four persons including Baby Asma Jan at Dangerpora area of Sopore” .
The injured, lying in a pool of blood were shifted to Bones and Joint Hospital in Srinagar early Saturday morning.
After learning about the condition of minor girl, injured in the terrorist strike in Sopore, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday ordered to shift her to AIIMS so as to provide her better
medical care.
Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Chourdhary late Saturday evening told The Pioneer, “Asma Jan will be shifted to AIIMS on Sunday”.
He said, “at present her condition is stable but she was not fit for air travel as she had undergone preliminary treatment here in Srinagar during the day”.
He said, “father of Asma Jan had also received injuries in firing and her grand father has now arrived from Sopore and he is expected to accompany her to AIIMS”.
Earlier on August 29, 65-year-old Ghulam Mohammad was shot dead by terrorists, when he was closing his shop at Parimpora on the outskirts of Srinagar in the evening.
The deceased shopkeeper was a commission-and-forwarding (CnF) agent and was carrying on with his business despite the shutdown.
J&k Police spokesman said, “Condition of all four civilians injured in firing is stable. They are being provided free treatment, financial assistance. Police spokesman said, “Incident happened late last night when militants fired upon & injured 4 persons at Dangerpora”.
All injured sustained firearm injury, admitted to B&J hospital, Barzulla. 2.5 year old Asma Jan D/O Irshad Rather also sustained injury in right leg in the incident. Irshad Rather S/O Hamid Rather aged 35 yrs.
Other injured include Mohd Ashraf Dar S/O Habibullah Dar, 60 yrs, Mohd Ramzan dar S/O Gulam Hassan Dar aged 45 yrs.