Violence hits poll campaign in south Kashmir

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 27

A day after the killing of two local militants and an attack on the ancestral house of a J&K minister in poll-bound south Kashmir, the already low-key election campaigning today took a hit as many election meetings were cancelled due to the volatile situation in the region.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress cancelled various workers’ meeting that were scheduled in Pulwama and Shopian districts. Both districts are a part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.

The PDP called off its workers’ meeting at Circuit House, Shopian, where senior minister Choudhary Zulfiqar was to address the gathering.

“We had to cancel the programme due to the situation. There was also no security clearance,” PDP legislator from Shopian Mohammad Yousuf Bhat said. The twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian, witnessed a spontaneous shutdown today over the killing of two local Hizbul Mujahideen militants — Shabaz Ahmed Wani, alias Rayees Kachru, and Farooq Ahmad Hurra. The two were killed in a brief gunfight at Padgampora Pulwama, when they tried to ambush a cavalcade of senior police officers on Sunday. A large number of people attended the funeral of the two slain militants. Sources said militants also appeared at the funeral of one of the slain militants and gave a gun salute. There were also reports of clashes between youths and the police in Pulwama district that left over a dozen people injured. The election meeting of the PDP was also put on hold in Pulwama. The election meetings of Congress candidate for Anantnag Ghulam Ahmad Mir that were scheduled in Pampore and Pulwama were also called off. The joint candidate of NC and Congress, Mir, is contesting against Tassaduq Mufti, brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, from the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency, having four districts, will go to polls on April 12.