JAMMU,(PTI):As many as 72 people, including some security personnel were killed and 103 others injured as a result of stepped up violence and militant attacks on security forces’ pickets at 187 places in strife-tom northern Indian state of Kashmir after Id-Ul Zuha on June 12.
Recently, Inter-militant group clashes also occurred in Kashmir claiming 18 lives. However, 44 youth were killed and 80 were injured in inter-militant group clashes from February to May 30 this year, according to official figures available here.
Sources said, recently militants attacked security forces at 147 different places in Srinagar and other parts of the valley. Security forces also increased search and combing operations in. different parts of the valley recently and arrested 190 militants, including some top activists of different militant outfits.
Security forces also recovered a huge quantity of arms and ammunition in search operations.
Official sources attribute the sudden increase of violence in Kashmir valley as “militant’s reaction in desperation” due to mounting pressure on them by security forces,
The sources said the proposed conference of Pak based Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (KLF) chairman Ammanullah Khan at Rawalkote in pok from July 1-3 has further widened the rift between pro-independence and pro Pak groups in Kashmir
Hizbul Mujahedeen, one of the major outfits in Kashmir, has criticized the holding of such conference and described it as an “exercise in futility.”
The widening rift between different outfits has a direct bearing on the present violence in Kashmir, the sources said, adding that pro-Pakistan’ outfits wanted to show their hegemony by stepping up violence in the valley.
Another aspect attributed to increased violence was the militants challenge to thwarts a political process in Kashmir the source said
Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994
