Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 24: A block president of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was critically injured as militants fired at him this evening in Barzulla area of Srinagar.
Militants opened firing on PDP leader Abdul Qayoom outside his residence at Old Barzulla at around 8.15 p.m. Qayoom was rushed to SMHS hospital where his condition is said to be critical.
Sources said that two militants who appeared outside his residence near Old bridge Barzulla shot him at point blank range. He received three bullets in lower abdomen and militants left him in a pool of blood and fled away.
This is the first attack on a political worker in Srinagar this year. Earlier, this year several political workers and leaders were attacked and killed in South Kashmir.
In the meantime, militants hurled a grenade towards camp of Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police at Imam Sahib, Shopian this afternoon in which five civilians were injured.
The grenade lobbed at the camp missed the target and fell on the road outside the camp. Five pedestrians were injured in the attack and they were shifted to nearby hospital.
The injured have been identified Ghulam Nabi Bhat son of Sonaullah resident of Wasawhalan, Ishfaq Rashid Mir son of Abdul Rashid resident of Wuyen,Tariq Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Nabi resident of Wasawhalan, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Mohammad resident of Wasawhalan and Rafiq Bhat son of Ghulam Nabi resident of Wasawhalan.
Earlier, unidentified persons sprinkled chilli into eyes of a Jammu and Kashmir Bank guard in Imam Sahib area of Shopian. Police said two unidentified persons sprinkled chilli powder into the eyes of bank guards at Imam Sahib in Shopian district and the motive of the attack was not clear. Police is investigating the matter and a manhunt to nab the culprits is going on.
And security forces this morning called off the operation that they had launched in village Hakhripora Pulwama last evening after militants managed to flee during the night.
A joint team of Army’s 55 RR, SOG and 183, 182 battalions of CRPF cordoned off Hakhripora village following specific information about the presence of three militants in the village including Lashkar-e-Toiba divisional commander Abu Dujana. There was brief exchange of firing between militants and security forces and locals took to streets and pelted stones on security forces at several places to help militants to flee from the area.
Due to stone pelting, source said, the militants managed to escape from the village last night only but the operation continued during the night and was called off in the morning.
Meanwhile, security forces cordoned off Trich, Pinglana, Pahoo and Ratnipora villages adjacent to Hakhripora against the same militants.
Army today found dead body of foreign militant near the Line of Control (LoC) in Safawali in district Kupwara. The body was decomposed and one UBGL and three UBGL grenades were recovered from the spot.
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