Ahead of All-party Meet with PM Modi, Alert in J&K Against 'Anti-national' Forces

The Jammu and Kashmir police has issued an alert in the state ahead of the crucial meet of various regional political parties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

After a series of attacks in Kashmir valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police has issued in alert, warning that ‘anti-national’ elements may attempt to ‘hit soft targets to create a hype’.

A group of militants Wednesday hurled a grenade and opened fire on a team of security forces’ personnel in Pulwama district, but no damage was caused, police said.

The incident happened around 8:50 pm when the militants attacked a police and CRPF naka party near the SBI Rajpura Chowk branch in the south Kashmir district, a police official said.

In another incident, a civilian was shot dead by militants in the Habbakadal locality of the city here on Wednesday evening, police said.

The victim, 25-year-old Umar, received gunshot injuries to the chest in the attack and was rushed to the SMHS hospital, where he died during treatment, a police official said.

He said security forces have cordoned the area off, and a hunt was launched to nab the attackers.

Meanwhile, most of the 14 leaders including four ex-chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir invited for an all-party meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the union territory on June 24 have arrived here by Wednesday evening.

The Thursday’s meeting will be the first between the Centre and mainstream Jammu and Kashmir politicians after the abrogation of Article 370 and the divisions of the erstwhile state into two union territories in 2019.

With no agenda announced for the Thursday meeting, the J&K leaders said they will go with an open mind.

“We have not been given an agenda. We will be attending the meeting to know what the Centre is offering, said CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who is also a spokesman for the six-party People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD).

Tarigami is among the 14 leaders invited for the all-party meeting convened by Modi. Others invited include four former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

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