Reminiscing A Bloody Weekend in the Subcontinent

By Animesh Roul

This Saturday (April 28) evening, when I glanced through the Breaking News tickers rolling on a local television channel, I found two news items clearly conveying the situation prevalent in the Subcontinent, especially in India and Pakistan, almost simultaneously. While one declared about a grenade attack on a public rally in Srinagar, India, the other claimed about a suicide attack on a similar rally in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province. I had no doubt that this would be another bloody weekend for the terror ravaged South Asia and I did not wait, but alerted colleagues about the happenings and remain seated before the television set for more details on the just happened events.

Here is a brief on the terror events

India: A grenade blast on April 28 evening killed at least one civilian (identified as Farida Jan) and injured over 50 others in Pampore town of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. The militant lobbed the grenade during a public rally called by the political party, National Conference (NC), which later demanded that the Indian government should engage Islamic terrorist groups of J & K in parleys to find a solution. None of the militant organizations have claimed responsibility for the attack till Sunday evening. Elsewhere in the J & K State, three Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) militants killed during an encounter with a joint team of paramilitary forces and police at village Panjan of Doda district on the same day. Security forces recovered AK series rifles with arms and munitions and hand grenades among other things from the site of the encounter.

On April 29 (Sunday), at least five LeT militants were killed in two separate encounters in J& K. in the first encounter, four LeT operatives killed at Maganwari forest of Kupwara district. Police recovered huge cache of arms and ammunitions from them. In the second reported encounter, security forces gunned down a top LeT operative identified as Abu Hamza@ Shamsher in Tulwani area of Rajouri district. LeT which has been in the news for waving flags in a public rally at J & K recently called by a radical Hurriyat leader, issued a threat letter to Khurja Railway Station Master in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, seeking the release of Indian Parliament attacker accused Mohammad Afzal Guru by May 14, 2007.

Pakistan: In April 28 suicide attack, 28 people (latest death toll as on Sunday evening) including five security force personnel were killed and Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister and chief of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Aftab Sherpao Khan and his son Sikandar Sherpao Khan were injured among 52 others in a suicide attack at a public rally at Charsadda in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The bomber blew himself up just three/four meters away from the interior minister, who survived miraculously with minofr injuries. This was the second attempt on Sherapo Khan’s life. Although no militant groups claimed responsibility for the attack so far, investigating agencies suspects a Waziristan link in the attack.

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