3 killed in Pak shelling
SRINAGAR, Oct 4 — At least three persons were killed and two injured as a result of unprovoked heavy shelling by Pakistani troops from across the border in the northern sector of Jammu and Kashmir today.

2 Hurriyat leaders held in Rajbagh
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Oct 4 — The police has held two top leaders of the separatists’ All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) from the party headquarters in Rajbagh.

The two leaders, including former Chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, were held outside the head office at Rajbagh around 6 p.m., after they were coming out of the office at the end of a press conference.

Top brass of the Hurriyat is already under detention. They include the Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is now undergoing treatment at the AIIMS in New Delhi, the APHC spokesman, Prof Abdul Ghani, and Moulvi Abbas Ansari. These leaders were held under PSA last week following the launch of its anti-election campaign in Kashmir.

Earlier today, the police also apprehended Javed Ahmad Mir, a close associate of Malik.

The Hurriyat, which had launched an anti-election campaign here over a month ago, had recently announced to launch a "jail bharo andholan" after the Anantnag elections in protest against the continued "excesses by the security forces and the farce elections held in Kashmir by coercion and force".

Talking to newspersons about the elections held in the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency today, Hurriyat leaders Mohammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq described these as "yet another exercise in futility". They claimed that the people in general boycotted the poll on the call of the Hurriyat like that in other parts of the valley.

The APHC leaders claimed that security forces resorted to force and pressurised voters in all areas of the constituency. They said these were not going to "solve the Kashmir issue" and the "bogus election process" was only to "mislead the world on the democratic values of the country".

When reports last came in, a group of APHC workers and supporters was holding protest demonstrations near the party headquarters in protest against the arrest of the top leaders.

Four militants killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Oct 4 (UNI) — Security forces killed four militants, including a foreigner, and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.

An official spokesman said the BSF killed two militants in an encounter during a search operation at Pandach Soura on the outskirts of the city today.

One security jawan also suffered injuries during the clash, which continued for about three hours.

Four AK rifles and some magazines were recovered near the site of the encounter.

He said the security forces killed two militants, including a foreigner, during two different operations at Daruswant and Lilam forest in the frontier district of Kupwara last evening. A large cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK rifles, one pistol, four magazines, two wireless sets and seven grenades, were recovered from the slain militants.

Militants shot and wounded one person, Abdul Majid Teli, at Pattan last evening. He was hospitalised and his condition is stated to be critical.

3 killed in Pak shelling

SRINAGAR, Oct 4 (UNI) — At least three persons were killed and two injured as a result of unprovoked heavy shelling by Pakistani troops from across the border in the northern sector of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Official sources said Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked shelling and firing on Indian positions in Uri sector this evening.

They said some of the shells fell at Charandoh village, near the Line of Control, resulting in the death of Mohammad Shafi and Atta Mohammad and injuries to two others. The injured have been admitted to hospital.