Amid rising tensions, unidentified militants on Monday shot dead a leader of ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in south Kashmir’s volatile Pulwama district.
Sources said two militants on a motor cycle shot at advocate Abdul Gani Dar, district president of PDP in Pinglena area of Pulwama, 32 kms from here on Monday afternoon. He was hit three times from a close range with an AK assault rifle and was referred to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar but succumbed to injuries, they said.
“The incident occurred when Dar was travelling in his car along with his two personal security officers (PSOs). The PSOs were without uniform and were not carrying their weapons. The militants taking them as civilians didn’t target them,” sources said and added police have taken the PSOs of the deceased into custody and they are being questioned.
No militant organization claimed responsibility for the killing. However, senior superintendent police (SSP) Pulwama Rayees Bhat said the killing was carried by a local module of Lashker-e-Toiba. “Preliminary investigations reveal it is handiwork of local LeT group as they want to create fear among the voters,” he told Deccan Herald. Pulwama is part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency and is scheduled to go for by-polls on May 25.
This is second such political killing in south Kashmir in a week. On April 17, militants had shot dead a former public prosecutor affiliated with opposition National Conference in neighboring Shopian district. The Valley is on the edge since the killing of nine civilians in security forces firing on April 9 when Srinagar parliament constituency went to by-poll.
The latest political killing happened on a day when Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti discussed prevailing situation in the state with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Mehbooba, who is under pressure in the face of street violence and rising militant attacks in Kashmir, briefed Modi on the prevailing situation and the way forward.
