Posted on 05/21/2002 10:06:23 AM PDT by swarthyguy
Abdul Ghani Lone, a senior Muslim separatist leader who was seen as a moderate voice in Indian-Kashmir, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen today.
Lone, an executive member of the main separatist alliance in Kashmir, the All Party Hurriyat Conference, was killed in Srinagar, the state summer capital, as he attended a public function.
One of his personal security officers was also shot dead and another security guard and six civilians were injured.
It was not known who was behind Lone’s killing, but Farooq Abdullah, Kashmir’s Chief Minister, immediately blamed it on Pakistan.
Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Indian Prime Minister, who is on a visit to Kashmir, said Lone’s death would affect the peace process in Kashmir but not stop it.
Mr Vajpayee's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party, also accused Pakistan of being responsible.
Lone’s driver, Abdul Rashid, said that he was shot at close range by at least two attackers.
"He fell to the ground, he was reciting the Koran. Then the gunman fired at him again at close range as he lay on the ground," he said.
The assailants also threw a grenade which failed to explode. Lone, 70, had been attending a function to mark the anniversary of the death of another separatist leader, Molvi Mohammed Farooq, who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in 1990. Both militants and security agencies blamed each other for that killing.
Lone, who headed the People’s Conference party, was seen as a moderate separatist leader who was criticised by hardliners for his stance that violence was not a solution to the Kashmir dispute.
There had been speculation in the Indian media that Lone was considering taking part in elections in Kashmir, due to be held later this year, which many militant groups have already said they will boycott.
Last month, Lone was manhandled at a press conference by a member of the rightwing Hindu Shiv Sena party. He had survived previous attempts on his life, including a car bomb that went off outside his house two years ago.
Tensions are running high in Kashmir after a militant attack last week which killed 35 people.
India has blamed Pakistan for the attack and tensions have simmered over into fierce cross-border firing since Friday. More than 35,000 people have been killed since a Muslim rebellion against Indian rule was launched in Kashmir in 1989.
Earlier today, a senior diplomat gave a warning that Pakistan and India are "very close" to renewed warfare.
Abdul Kader Jaffer, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London, said that the international community should be aware of the seriousness of the stand-off and exercise its influence to calm the situation.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Jaffer was asked how close the two countries were to war. He responded: "They are very close. And therefore it is necessary for all our friends to get together, bring sanity where there is total insanity. There is a one million deployment of armed forces on Indian-occupied Kashmir."
Early this morning, a fierce exchange of gunfire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers killed three civilians, hours before Mr Vajpayee's visit.
Elsewhere, suspected Islamic militants blew up an army vehicle in Bhaderwah, wounding four soldiers, two of them critically, police said. The ambush occurred in the Doda district, 125 miles northeast of Jammu
Washington has called on the two sides to resume dialogue and yesterday announced plans to send Richard Armitage, the Deputy Secretary of State, to the region
Of course, it could be the Indians ratcheting up the pressure by killing someone they could talk to. Acting on behalf of Israel, most probably.
It's a damned shame that the article's author didn't follow up the above line with: "Authorities are searching for the Lone gunman"...
Darn! You beat me to that line! 8^)
you're kidding, right?
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