KASHMIR TENSE, MILITANTS GIVE GUN SALUTE TO LASHKAR MAN

SRINAGAR: Thousands of people, including militants, participated on Saturday in the funeral of three alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba men killed by security forces a day earlier when Kashmir saw a wave of bloodshed.

Much of Kashmir was tense on Saturday, prompting chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to make a renewed call for peace.

Friday’s deaths included top Lashkar commander Junaid Mattoo, who was seen as the third most prominent face of the insurgency after Burhan Wani and Sabzar Bhat.

Militants at his funeral in Kashmir’s Kulgam district gave a gun salute, underscoring the challenge for security forces that often face hostility from civilians while pursuing militants.

Thousands of the attendees jostled to touch Mattoo’s body. Similar scenes played out during the funeral of the other two LeT militants, Nasir Wani and Adil Mir. Mattoo, like Wani and Bhat, enjoyed support from sections in the Valley. Wani was killed in July last year — a death that triggered one of the worst phases of violence for the region and left at least 100 civilians dead — and Bhat was killed late last month.

Union defence minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the insurgents on Saturday, calling the killing of five policemen on Friday an “act of cowardice”. Mattoo’s outfit, the LeT, claimed the attack as a revenge for his death.

The Jammu and Kashmir director general of police (DGP) promised on Saturday to catch the suspects “very soon”.

Two civilians, including a teenager, were also killed on Friday when forces opened fire on people pelting stones at them in an apparent attempt to intervene in the operation against Mattoo and the two LeT rebels.

The opposition National Conference and the Congress protested outside the assembly against ‘innocent killings’.

Mehbooba Mufti said instances of 12 year-old boys going to encounter sites with stones in their hands or the killings of policemen were a repercussion of democracy being denied in the state.

“Guns or army can’t solve any issues. Only dialogue can,” she said in the assembly, which convened for a one-day special session to discuss the implementation of the GST.

Meanwhile, in view of the growing tension between India and Pakistan, BJP president Amit Shah said on Saturday that the two countries would continue to play against each other only in international tournaments.

“India and Pakistan will continue to play at international tournaments but neither India plays in Pakistan nor Pakistan plays in India,” Shah said.