Blast after Farooq leaves venue
Tribune News Service and PTI

SRINAGAR, Dec 5 — A powerful landmine blast took place near the Teng Bagh bridge, minutes after Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had left the scene after inaugurating the bridge. The explosion occurred about 100 metres from the bridge at 12.45 p.m.

The explosion, which took place in an open field, close to the road leading to the bridge, however, did not cause any damage. At the time of the explosion, heavy security arrangements were in force in view of the Chief Minister's visit. The police said the explosion was the handiwork of militants. According to eyewitnesses, two or three suspected militants fled the scene after the explosion.

At the time of the explosion senior police and civil administration officers had left the scene. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Rural Development Minister Abdul Rahim Rather and Minister of Public Health, Engineering and Irrigation Ali Mohammad Sagar.

Meanwhile, nine persons, including four militants and four intruders, were killed and two wounded as security forces frustrated a major attempt of Pakistan to push a group of infiltrators into Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

The intrusion bid was foiled when alert security forces gunned down four Pakistanis in the Samba sector of the Jammu region yesterday, an official spokesman said here today.

The spokesman said security forces noticed a group of intruders trying to sneak into Jammu through the Samba sector. The intruders were challenged and asked to surrender. However, they tried to escape and were killed in the firing.

The spokesman said four militants were killed in two separate encounters with security forces at Phagla-Surankote in Poonch district and Hidar-Keshan in Doda district yesterday.

Bullet-riddled body of a person was fished out from a nullah at Kulgam in Anantnag district last night. The victim was abducted and later shot dead by the militants.

Militants also shot at and injured a person inside his house at Badergund in the Ganderbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar late last night.

A counter-insurgent, Ghulam Rasool Wani alias Nika received head injury when he was fired upon by militants in his village at Hara-Trath in Pattan last night. Wani was affiliated with the Ikhwan outfit.

Militants fired upon the house of Sher Dil at Malangam in the Bandipora area last night, causing partial damage to the house.

A fierce encounter broke out between militants and security search parties at the Bohtu forests in the Bandipora area late last night but no casualty was reported, the spokesman said, adding the "operation" was continuing.

Militants opened fire and hurled grenades on a security camp at Bahrampora in Baramula last night. Army troops deployed returned the fire, repulsing the militant attack. No body was injured in the gun-battle which lasted several hours.

Militants set ablaze a residential house belonging to a migrant at Kular in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district last night, causing damage to the property.

A militant of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, Siyaq Ahmad Wani was arrested by the security forces during a raid on his hideout at Ichhagoz in Pulwama district last night.

Two militants surrendered before the security forces alongwith some arms and ammunition at Kohanu in Baramula district yesterday.

Army rule in Pak to stay for 'a year'

ISLAMABAD, Dec 5 (PTI) — Dropping first hints on the minimum term of the Army rule in Pakistan, military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf has indicated that the elections will not be held in the country before the end of next year by when an election reform process is to be carried out.

"We will have electoral reforms to strengthen the election commission and complete the process of electoral rolls, registration/delimitation of constituencies, so that the representative institutions at the district level become functional by the end of next year," General Musharraf told Islamabad-based envoys here yesterday.

He, however, did not spell out the specific time for holding of elections for the restoration of democracy in the country.

"For me and for the people of Pakistan, the foremost priority remains the implementation of the objectives that I had set forth in my policy statement," an official press note quoted the military ruler as having told the envoys who called on him to condole the death of his father.

"It will be our effort to build democratic institutions through the devolution of powers to grassroot level so that democracy can flourish in the country," said General Musharraf, who wants to bring "genuine democracy" in Pakistan.

On two previous occasions when the army had seized power in Pakistan, its rule in the country had continued for more than a decade.