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J&K minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone
shot dead by militants

Basharat Peer in Srinagar

Militants on Wednesday afternoon killed the Jammu and Kashmir Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, at Ratnag village in Kupwara district, 80 km from Srinagar, while he was addressing an election rally.

A burqa-clad militant, sitting in the ladies enclosure at the rally, lobbed a grenade and later fired indiscriminately towards the dais from where Lone was addressing the audience.

Simultaneously, his other accomplices resorted to random firing in which the law and parliamentary affairs minister, his five security guards and a civilian were killed.

Twelve persons were injured with four of them in critical condition.

Senior police officers, along with paramilitary reinforcements, have rushed to the spot.

A little known militant outfit Al Ariffel squad, first, claimed responsibility for the attack. A person identifying himself as a member of the outfit called up a local news agency, Kashmir Press Service, owning up the responsibility.

The caller said the outfit has formed a special squad to target candidates contesting the election.

The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba also claimed responsibility.

"The attack was carried out by our Abul-Qasim group, comprising of local Kashmiri militants," Mohammad Shakeel, an LeT spokesman told the Kashmir Press Service.

A 15-year-old Kashmiri boy, Abu Vikas, carried out the attack with the help of other members of the group, the spokesman said.

Lone is the National Conference candidate from Lolab constituency in Kupwara district, which is going to polls on September 16 in the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir election.

The Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Deeraj Gupta, said the election would probably be countermanded. "The matter will be referred to the Election Commission which will take a decision. Under the laws, if a candidate belonging to any recognised party is killed, the election is countermanded," he said.

Lone is the second NC minister killed by militants since Farooq Abdullah government assumed charge in 1996. In 1999, Power Minister Ghulam Hassan Bhat was killed by militants, who triggered a land-mine explosion in Anantnag district.

Last week, militants killed an independent candidate Abdul Rehman Sheikh in Handwara area of Kupwara district.

The militants, since the announcement of the poll schedule on August 2, have targeted several candidates and political activists.

The pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen had set a deadline of September 10 for all candidates to withdraw from the poll race or face the consequences.

Several other militant outfits had also issued similar warnings to the candidates.

Meanwhile, militants attacked the house of Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Tourism Sakina Itoo in Anantnag district, but there was no report of any casualty.

Elsewhere, militants abducted the grandson of a National Conference leader, Chowdary Sadiq Hussain, from his residence in Mendhar area of Poonch district.

A group of militants attacked the house on Tuesday night and abducted his grandson, official sources said, adding they later set the house on fire.

With inputs from PTI

Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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